


Swapping Personalities

by addict_writer



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Fast Cars, Street Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-01
Updated: 2014-05-14
Packaged: 2018-01-10 19:23:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 71,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1163524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addict_writer/pseuds/addict_writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Illegal racing. Learning from mistakes. Living on the edge. Edward is forced to be part of an exchange student program to keep him out of juvie after he injured a man during a race. He decided to be good and change who he is, but can he do it? Especially when he’s surrounded by his only passion—cars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My new story! It's something completly different from what I wrote before, it's told in third person and it's kinda angsty. A tiny bit. :)
> 
> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight.

 

 

_This is the cruelest thing anyone has ever done to me_ , Edward thought mournfully as he walked through the airport.

His cousin and best friend had sent him away on a student exchange program to keep him away from bigger trouble. It was this purgatory or juvenile detention.

Somehow, Edward failed to see the difference. He had a great life in Chicago and he was respected even though he was only eighteen. No one dared to cross him knowing who his father was and if they as much as looked the wrong way at Edward, his father would know and make sure they didn't see the next day.

Of course, Carlisle Cullen didn't approve of his son being immersed in this life—the reason he enrolled him in a private school and pumped money into his education, trying to steer him away from danger. Edward didn't listen, and every delinquency he committed in the past year brought him to this shitty small town in the middle of the desert.

_And I'm not even there yet. Once I find the people I'm going to live with for the next few months, we have to drive to our destination._

He finally arrived and if he expected a sea of people waiting for their dear ones on board he was mistaken. His fellow flight companions scattered away in different directions leaving him looking around the deserted area.

 _Well, fuck. This is simply awesome_. Edward rolled his suitcase to the Information desk. Since he wasn't paying attention, looking at his phone as he scrolled through the contacts ready to call his cousin and curse him to the deepest pits of hell, he crashed into someone.

"Shit!" he exclaimed. His wide eyes were on his phone which had fallen at the impact with the other person. He grabbed it and of course it had fallen with the screen down. Now it was cracked and it wouldn't open.

Edward turned his glare to the person who collided into him, but immediately blanched. A cop. _Just my luck._

"Watch that language, young man," the cop muttered, and made to walk away but then turned and gave Edward a scrutinizing look.

Maybe Emmett, Edward's cousin, was right and he had the world TROUBLE written on his forehead with capital letters and in flashy colors. He seemed to have a magnet for cops.

"Did your plane just land?" the police officer asked, checking in his pockets for something.

_Fuck. Tell me he isn't cuffing me. I didn't do shit! Can he smell the pot on me?_

Edward stared panicked at the uniformed man in front of him and nodded quickly, swallowing thickly. To his relief, the cop was looking for his phone and after thumbing through it while giving Edward long looks, he smiled.

"You must be Edward Cullen!"

"I…am," he stammered. He wasn't usually this scared little boy but this cop rubbed him the wrong way.

"Well, that's great! You're coming with me!" The cop took the rolling suitcase from Edward, along with his duffle bag. "Let's go already," he insisted when Edward didn't make a move. "We have a three hour drive home."

"Are you arresting me?" Edward found his voice and sarcasm, lunging for his things. "There's someone waiting for me around here…I hope. They'll be worried."

The police officer laughed. " _I'm_ here for you."

Edward's heart took off double speed. _Had Emmett lied and actually sent him to juvie?_

"No." He shook his head mechanically.

"Yes." The cop gave him a big smile. "I hope you won't cause me any trouble. Oh, maybe introducing myself would ease your nerves. I'm James Swan. My sister, Isabella, is a senior in high school like you."

"Awesome. Emmett failed to tell me you were a cop," Edward muttered.

"Let's hope I won't have to arrest you, alright? Come on." James motioned with his chin toward the doors, walking ahead of Edward.

The teenager was fuming and couldn't wait to get to his home for the next few months to contact his cousin via e-mail and call him every bad name in the book. He hadn't told Edward anything about this exchange program besides that he had to get good grades and keep his nose clean.

On the way out of the airport, Edward caught up with James. "Listen, is there a phone store around here? I need a new one. You broke mine."

"I'm sorry for that," James apologized. "We can go and find you a new one, but we should hurry. I have the night shift tonight and I'd like to get home, eat and then leave."

"So you don't live on donuts and coffee?"

"Oh, is that a joke?"

Edward scowled at him, trudging his way toward James's car. When they stopped at a Ford Focus ST, his eyes widened. He could see this car had been modified, but it definitely didn't look like a cop car. Besides, his fingers were twitching to get behind the wheel, something he had to swear to Emmett not to do unless it was for simply driving around.

This beauty was red with black stripes on the doors, there was a black spoiler at the back and a hood scoop, the protection bar was also lowered. Edward was dying to see the engine.

"Put your eyes back and don't get ideas." James's voice brought Edward to the present. "I know racing is one of the many infractions on your list."

"I was simply admiring this beauty. I'm curious, though. It doesn't look like a cop car. Are you working undercover in illegal racing? I can help," he said eagerly.

"It's my sister's car."

That seemed to be the end of discussion.

_A girl owns this car?_

_Whoa_.

For the first time since Edward knew he had to come to this shitty place, he started feeling hope.

"Don't even think about it," James said on a warning tone.

"Now you think you can read minds?"

"I know that look on your face. Brady had it every time he saw a modified car." He popped the trunk and threw the bags in there. "Get in and don't ask questions."

It was as if he knew Edward was about to ask about that Brady guy.

As promised, James took him to a store to buy a phone. It wasn't as fancy as his old one, but Edward knew if he begged his dad, he'd send a replica of his old one as fast as possible. This shitty one would have to do until then.

Once back in the car and on the way to Fredonia, their destination, Edward slouched in the passenger seat, getting busy with his new phone. He called his family letting them know he arrived well and that he found his contact, he also mentioned needing a new phone but his mother dodged that subject.

An hour into the drive, Edward started feeling the effects of being stuck in Arizona desert for months. He was already sweating and not even taking his leather jacket off helped.

"Is it always this hot?" he complained, wiping his temple with his wrist.

"We're experiencing a heat wave right now. It's usually pleasantly warm." James glanced at his companion, smirking. "But I'm sure it's a far cry from Chicago."

"You think?"

"Listen, kid. I don't want to be your enemy. We can be friends."

Edward scowled, folding his arms over his chest, but he thought better of it and let his right arm hang out the open window. It was too freaking hot.

"I decided to come alone to get you because we need to talk privately before you meet my sister."

"Why? Is there something I should know about her?" Edward asked curiously.

"No, there's something _she_ shouldn't know about you—the reason why you're here." James caught Edward's eyes, and the teenager could see how serious the cop was. "Are we clear? You wanted this experience, but aren't happy because you ended up in the middle of nowhere. It should about cover your displeasure of being here."

"I wasn't going to tell anyone why I'm here. I'm not stupid, you know?"

"I hope so, though your track record says otherwise."

"Dude, I've done stupid shit, I know. But…" Edward sighed loudly. "This is cruel."

"It's a precaution. If you show you can be a nice guy and get good grades, the police are willing to drop all the charges."

"I promise not to do anything stupid," Edward promised. "The second I got arrested that night, I regretted everything I've done in the past year. My past decisions and rebelling against my parents…it got me arrested and nearly sent to jail."

"It would have been juvie," James commented amused.

"Because I was only a week away from being eighteen when it happened. Thank fuck Emmett was there to help."

"Your cousin?"

"Yep. Whoa!" Edward stared amazed at the scenery around them.

The road cut the dessert and in the distance he could see the Grand Canyon flashed on billboard photos. It was such a beautiful sight. It gave him a sense of freedom, even though he was far from being free.

He turned his head toward James when he heard the engine being shifted into a higher gear. The cop winked before pressing the gas pedal.

They were flying on the deserted US-89 N toward US-86A N.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought speeding goes against your cop rules," Edward said with trepidation in his voice. The rush of speeding again was consuming him, and if he was honest it terrified him a tiny bit since he wasn't the one behind the wheel.

"Oh, but I love speeding. That doesn't mean I indulge or take part in illegal racing. I usually rely on speeding when I'm chasing after someone. You won't believe the action we get here what with these open roads."

Edward gritted his teeth. "That's like dangling a joint in front an addict. If you expect me to behave, don't give me ideas."

James chuckled. "Didn't you promise only an hour ago to be good?" He slowed by a few miles, before turning his head to look at the teenager next to him. "Besides not mentioning the reason why you're here and being a good boy, I have one more request. Don't ask about Brady. It's a sour subject for everyone."

"Right. Can I ask something else?"

"It depends on the level of how stupid it's going to be."

"You keep mentioning your sister."

"Stay away from her!" he growled, narrowing his eyes at the boy. "If you touch her, that is going to be the last thing you do before you rot in prison."

Edward raised his hands in defense. "I wasn't even thinking about that! Good to know how highly you think of me," he grumbled.

"What was your stupid question?"

"What about your parents? Don't you live with them? You didn't mention them…" It was a normal question.

"Yeah, add that to the pile of untouchable subjects. Let's leave it at they're dead. I don't need to tell you the history of my family. It's not like you're going to be part of us. I'm hosting you during the first semester of senior year, and you're hosting my sister during the next semester. Then our lives go back to normal and that's it."

"Sounds easy."

A while later Edward could see houses appearing at the horizon. At last, they arrived.

James pointed to the right, toward a stone reading:

**Welcome to**

**FREDONIA**

**Arizona's Desert Rose**

**Est. 1885**

" **Gateway to the North Rim"**

"Dare I ask how many people live here?" he asked James, shifting his eyes toward the driver.

"About one thousand three hundred. And before you roll your eyes and think you're in hell, let me tell you that I have a feeling you'll like it here. It's quiet and I can keep an eye on you. Everyone knows what everyone is doing."

"Awesome," Edward grumbled, turning his head to look out the open window. There were some stores, people walking up and down the street, a few houses. It wasn't hell as James put it, but this place was going to drive Edward nuts.

While the young man gave himself a silent pep-talk that he could live here for a few months, James pulled the car in front of a garage. The house was a one story and looked smallish. It had probably seen better days, the paint was peeling off and the grass in the front yard was burnt by the sun giving it a yellowish look.

"Home sweet home." The cop beamed at Edward, stepping out of the car.

Gathering his things, Edward followed James to the front door. As he stepped inside, he noticed the hallway was as long as the house, probably leading into the backyard. There was a door to the right and one across from it. Looking more carefully, Edward realized the hallway had more similar doors. It was an odd house.

James opened the third door on the right, stepping aside. "Here you go. This is going to be your room. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Uh, thanks." Edward looked around the room. It had a wooden bed covered with light blue bedding. Upon closer inspection, he noted there were small white, fluffy clouds printed on the sheet. He shuddered, turning his eyes to the closet. It was a decent size and his things would fit in there. There was also a table in front of the window, along with a chair. These pieces of furniture didn't look like belonging in the room, so Edward guessed they were installed there for him.

A drop of sweat rolled down his neck soaking his already wet shirt. He needed a shower, but when he turned toward the door to ask James for directions to the bathroom, he wasn't there anymore.

 _Oh, well._ Edward walked out the room, looking left and right unsure where his host had gone. He found a door cracked open and decided to check in there.

The sight in front of him stopped him in the tracks. It was definitely the wrong room, but he couldn't turn around. His eyes were glued to the girl who was in the process of changing her clothes. He could only see her back, but that lacy black bra was going to appear in his dreams tonight. He was sure of it.

Suddenly, his back met the wall and a hand was wrapped around his neck. "What the fuck did I tell you?" James spat, glaring at him.

Edward's fingers clawed at the hand chocking him. "I was looking for the bathroom!" he rasped out.

"Wrong fucking room!"

"I swear, I didn't see anything…just a peek." He started feeling dizzy at the lack of oxygen.

"I hoped you'd listen."

"I do! Sorry."

"What's going on?" a soft voice inquired from Edward's right side. "Jimmy! What are you doing? Is this the exchange student?" Her slender fingers pulled at James's hand until he released Edward, who doubled over wheezing and rubbing at his throat. He was aware the siblings were having a heated conversation, but he couldn't care what they were talking about. That fucking cop had tried to kill him without any apparent reason. He simply had the wrong room and heck, any guy his age would have stopped to peek at the girl changing her clothes.

A small hand touched his cheek making his head jerk up. "Are you okay?" the girl asked quietly. "Did Jimmy hurt you?"

Edward dropped his hand from his throat and gave her a tight smile. "Yeah, I'm cool. About that…I'm sorry." He gestured awkwardly to her room.

She smiled. "I'm a teenager too. By the way, I'm Bella."

"Edward." He extended his hand. She took it in a firm shake. "So you prefer Bella to Isabella?"

"Bella!" she exclaimed. "Please, call me Bella. Isabella makes me feel like…I'm an adult. I'm not one and I don't want to be one yet."

"Got it. So…" Edward looked around.

"Are you hungry? I feel like pizza."

"Can you order in this place?" he asked, feeling hopeful.

"Nah. Either we go to the restaurant or I make some. I'm no cook and Jimmy is an ass. I'm not talking to him right now."

Edward knew how to make pizza. His mother owned a pizzeria and he'd spent his whole life around her since she was a stay-at-home mom. Maybe at some point in the future, he'd share his knowledge on making pizza with Bella, but she shouldn't know that side of him.

He was determined to be a different person here, but telling her about his mad pizza making skills would have made him look like mama's boy.

"Is the pizza house far away?" He chose to ask.

"Ten minutes away if we walk, or around four with the car."

"Right. Well, first, I need to shower and change out of these clothes. That's what I was doing earlier—trying to find the bathroom."

Bella giggled and walked to the end of the hallway. "Here you go. It's the only bathroom so be careful about hogging it in the morning."

One bathroom was the least of his worries. Her room across from his was a huge problem.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my reader and followers, thank you! I wish I had to the to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

"How's Chicago?" Bella asked, looking eagerly at Edward.

They were seated in a booth in Carly's Foods and Beverages. Bella had praised this place and Edward, who was starved, accepted to try the pizza. They had ordered half an hour ago and it still wasn't done. At least there was the soda he kept sipping from, and Bella's endless stream of questions.

She was definitely different from all the girls he'd met back home, but he believed this was because she was a small town girl who dreamed big.

"Chicago is…full of life," he answered, playing with the pink straw in his glass. Seriously, he was a guy! Guys don't possess anything pink. "There's always something happening. It's loud and crazy."

Bella caught her bottom lip between her teeth, sucking on it. "Cities are scary, aren't they? Especially, big cities."

"Honestly, this place is scary. It's deadly calm and quiet."

"I like the quiet. It's safe to live here. Life in the big city is always in danger."

He pondered on her words. "You're right, but that's all I know. I'm used to that."

"You'll get used to this." She smiled as the waitress finally brought their pizzas. They were placed on round wooden objects. "I've only ever been to Phoenix. I'm sure it doesn't compare with Chicago, but it was something else."

"Yeah, I bet."

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

Edward had to admit the pizza was decent and it had the right amount of mozzarella. Maybe, just maybe, living in this small town wasn't going to be so bad.

"How's the school here?" he wondered.

"You really want to know about school?" Bella joked. When he simply nodded, she was sure she had read him wrong. He had this air of bad boy about him, but it seemed like he was a simple guy who was focused on school, apparently.

In more words than it was probably necessary Bella tried to paint her high school in a better light than she should have. He was going to see it in a couple days and realize some things were off.

"As for your future class mates…we're about thirty all seniors. We share most classes. And I can't wait to hear from you if it's easier than your school in Chicago," she finished her story.

"I'm sure they teach the same shitty subjects and demand the same unrealistic things from students."

"So you don't like school?"

"Who likes school?" he muttered. "Anyway, I guess I like math and computer science. Do they even teach that here?"

"Of course!" Bella sounded hurt. People had preconceived ideas of small towns. It was true they couldn't have all the facilities a city would have, but they had the necessities. Besides, in what big city store were being sold from food and beverages of any kind to clothes and shoes to furniture and tools and even guns. No city store could be the proud owner of that combination of products. It was privilege of sorts for small town stores.

And Bella told Edward all that in one breath leaving his head spinning.

"They sell guns without a license?" he blurted out, staring at her as if she had grown another head.

"That's all you got from my speech?" She huffed, turning her attention to her food.

Edward felt like kicking himself. He realized he kind of insulted her lifestyle. Desperate for a change of subject, he looked around as he bit on his slice of pizza. His eyes landed on the car outside.

"You have a cool car there," he said of-handedly.

Bella's brown eyes zeroed to said car, before finding his green ones. He noted she looked sad. "Yeah. I have a weird love-hate relationship with it."

"How can you hate a car? Especially one like that."

"So you know about racing?"

"Every guy knows about racing. I could tell from first glance that it looked like a kitten but under the hood was a lion hiding." He stared at the beauty parked outside the restaurant.

 _Damn, I miss racing._ He thought mournfully.

"I know about racing too," Bella whispered, abandoning her food. "It ruins lives. You know what? I'm done here. We can tell Carly to pack the rest of the pizza." She was already standing up, waving the waitress over.

Edward remembered of James's words about racing and not asking questions about the car and that Brady dude. It was like a light bulb went off in his head. Edward vowed to himself in that moment not to mention it again, but to silently try and find out what happened.

"Want to drive it?" Bella asked as they stepped out of the restaurant. She was carrying the pizza boxes.

"Are you sure?" His fingers twitched.

"It's okay. I'll give you directions. It takes one time to learn the way back." She winked, opening the passenger door and stepping inside.

Edward found himself forced to go behind the wheel. His whole body was filled with trepidation. The last time he'd been driving, he got arrested and was nearly send to juvie for illegal racing on top of his previous crimes.

For a few minutes, he got accustomed with the car not being familiar with the Focus.

"You know how to use the stick?" Bella asked trying to keep a straight face. "This one." She pointed to the gear shift.

"Of course. I have a…er, _had_. I had a Ford too. It was a Talladega."

"That's an old car, right?"

"Yep." He nodded. "From '69." He sighed sadly. Edward really missed his car.

"You keep talking about it in past tense. Did something happen to it?"

He cringed as she insulted his car. "Betty ain't an _it_!" he hissed, gripping the steering wheel. "I've been stupid and hurt her so badly."

"Who's Betty?"

"Keep up. We were discussing my car when you decided to go and call her an it! Her name is Betty."

Bella's eyes widened before she burst out laughing. "S-sorry," she apologized between giggles. "It must be a guy thing. This one—" She waved her hand around. "—it's Red Arrow."

"Decent name." He glanced at the speedometer. One hundred and sixty miles was decent top speed.

Once again, Edward itched to take it for a drive, a real one on that highway. His eyes found a small button on the bottom right spin of the steering wheel. It was like it was glaring at him.

"Where's the nitro tank?" he asked Bella as if on a trance.

"What?" she squeaked, feeling faint. "Can you start driving already? It's getting late."

He finally gunned the engine and pulled out of the spot. Bella directed him home on a curt tone. When they arrived, she walked ahead of him, unlocking the front door and flipping the light on, before heading into the kitchen to put away the pizza.

"The wires are cut. The tank has been removed," she muttered as she passed Edward on the way to her room.

There were some strange people living in this house, and they had a secret too. Edward wasn't the only one with a car racing past.

Once in his room, Edward pulled his laptop from the bag and decided to contact his family. As much as he wanted to be tough and show everyone he was okay with this situation, deep inside he missed his parents—his mother, especially. Esme had always been there for him.

The first memory he had of her was when he fell at the playground and she rushed from the bench to him to check on his scratched knee. After that, they blended together, different images of his mom's face—happy, sad, excited, worried, upset, incredulous—he had managed to evoke all possible feelings from her through the years. She taught him how to make pizza—his favorite food—and how to tie his shoe laces. She was there for him when his first tooth fell and he cried his heart out of thinking he'd be forever toothless like some gross old person. She cheered on him for his first football game. She taught him manners and how to treat a girl respectfully.

As for his father, when Edward thought of him, the first image he had in his head was of a man in a suit sitting behind a sturdy desk, being always busy. He had spent as much time as his job allowed him with his son, but it was never enough for the young boy who missed his father. When Edward was ten, Carlisle took him shooting. It had been a fun day, but later that night he heard his parents fighting over his father's choice of fun for his son. He took him on long car rides, making him fall in love with everything car related. When they had reached their destination, Edward had to stay in the car and wait for his father. Also, Carlisle gave Edward the usual sex talk a couple years ago and even gave him a box of condoms. His father might not have been there when he needed him, but that made Edward admire him more and got him so curious that when he discovered the real business Carlisle was condoning he didn't turn his back on him, he wanted to join in.

That had led to many fights in their family. Esme was angry at Carlisle for allowing their son to find out about his mob life. Carlisle never accepted Edward joining in his way which turned into sending their son to the private school hoping to make a real man out of him. When Edward realized their real reason for enrolling him into that school, he rebelled on them.

He found a gang of boys who were upset with their parents too for various reasons and they started with leaving their houses after curfew and meeting in abandoned parking lots where they smoked and drank, then one night they wanted to have fun and while drunk and high they shoplifted from a local store. They weren't caught which gave them power and their crimes escalated. When his gang bumped into a rival one, they fought and got caught by the police. Now having his face and fingerprints, it was easy to connect the past few months' infractions to Edward's gang. He promised to be good and he'd been until their weed dealer got clocked by someone. One of Edward's friends got into the local drug dealing net and after a short period of time he got caught by the police. Of course it was linked to Edward again.

His father had been so upset he nearly punched him, yelling at him that he was trying his hardest to make an honest man out of him and he was befriending scumbags and getting in trouble. Carlisle also reminded Edward that if the police ever raided his advocacy office, they might find something suspicious and it would only be his fault if his father ended up in prison. That was a wake-up call to Edward. He went back to his first love—cars. Until he met the right people to satiate his thirst for speed. They used to meet on deserted streets, airport parking lots, and have different competitions. He won most of them and he was happy to have his own money.

Racing was his favorite thing, but it was taken away from him the night the police showed up at their gathering. He was already in a race with some other guy, who had pulled over when he heard the sirens. Edward didn't—he sped away, trying to escape. What he didn't take into consideration was traffic on the main street which led to his accident and being caught.

Edward ran his hands through his hair, having to do something with his hands. They were trembling from the memories bombarding him. Despite everything he'd done to his parents, they still loved him for some reason, and he still loved them too.

Booting up the computer after placing it on the bed upon the fluffy sky blue covers, he changed in his pajamas and threw himself on the bed. It took him a few minutes to realize when his Skype wasn't working.

The Wi-fi needed a password.

He left his room and went to the door across from his. After a moment of just standing there, unsure if Bella was sleeping or busy, he knocked. Maybe she was still upset with him for the twenty questions about the car.

"Yeah?" Her voice sounded muffled. "Come in," she added.

Edward cracked the door open and peeked inside. Bella was on her bed with a book. She placed a bookmark before closing it.

"Hey." She smiled. "Did you need anything?"

"Yeah. Can you give me your Wi-fi password?" He scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, shit. Yeah. Sorry, I forgot about it." Bella jumped out of the bed and looked on her desk for something. Edward noticed there were tons of colored post-it notes, which he found amusing. "Found it!" She exclaimed, going to his side and offering him the blue piece of paper. "I want it back."

He was about to say she could keep it and that he could memorize a word, but when he looked down at the paper his eyes widened. There was a series of letters and numbers.

"Your brother's a cop through and through," he joked.

"Which is extremely annoying at times," she grumbled.

Edward took the post-it note and rushed to his room to set up the network connection. With that out of the way, he returned the paper to Bella, thanking her.

"Are you turning in? It's about nine," she said when he was at her door.

Turning to look at her, he shrugged. "I'm gonna talk with my parents for a while then…dunno. Why?"

"You can sleep. I mean you must be tired after flying for hours and then driving here…"

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, sensing she wanted to do something. He braced himself from disappointing her if she wanted to go to a party. He had promised, though he had no idea for how long he could keep this good boy card.

"Well, I have a few movies… would you like to watch one?" she asked shyly. "It's getting old watching them alone."

"Yeah, I feel you. There's always a point in every movie when you want to turn to someone and laugh with them or comment on the scene. But it's odd coming from you. I'm the only child of my parents', but you have James."

"Yeah, ten years apart. He's too cool for me, but don't make that fool you. He's also very protective. We have each other, you know? It's just us."

"It must be hard," Edward said quietly, walking over to her and sitting on the bed.

"You have no idea. I've learned how to fend for myself, but I'm just a teenager. Remember the Isabella thing making me feel more important and mature. There was a time until about a couple years back when I wanted to be called that and pretending I was the big sister taking care of my brother. But then…something happened." Bella looked at her hands, trying not to cry. "I realized how fleeting this life is. In that moment I decided to act my age and be a teenager and do all the crazy things a teenager would do. Of course, I don't have the guts to do all I want, but I've skipped classes and tried smoking."

"Tried?" He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Her wet brown eyes met him. "Yup. I coughed my ass off and made a fool of myself."

Edward patted her knee. "I can teach you, though that's a bad habit."

"Do you smoke?" She asked excited, her eyes lightning up.

"Not anymore," he chose to answer. "Being a teenager doesn't mean you have to do stupid things." For some reason he wanted to keep her out of trouble. He knew that rebelling against someone brought only bad things upon yourself. "You don't want to become the bad guy. I'm sure the most dangerous thing teenagers do is sneaking out after curfew, skipping classes and maybe dating an older person? I don't know."

"So no smoking, drinking and…doing anything risky?"

 _Anything risky_. Edward didn't like that. "Definitely not."

"There goes my movie choice."

"What is it? Maybe it's not that bad," he told her, hoping she wanted to watch _Titanic_ or some Austen adaption movie—totally girly.

" _Sleepers_." Bella chewed on her lip as she stared at Edward, waiting for his reaction.

"The one with Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Kevin Bacon…with the boys sent to the detention center and when they're older they want revenge?" He hoped there was another movie with the same name.

"You know it?" She asked excited. "It's great, isn't it? I've seen only a few scenes of it a while back and Jimmy forbade me to watch it."

"And this is you doing something a teenager would do? Disobeying your brother."

"You're starting to get this." Bella beamed at him. "Come on. It's gonna be fun!"

Movie night with his host, a girl he only met roughly four hours ago, was the most fun he had in months. She was that kind of person that you couldn't say no to and also a very easygoing girl. Bella only wanted to live her life and be a teenager. Edward promised himself if something good came out of this student exchange program was him teaching Bella how to have fun without getting in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teaser and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.
> 
> This is already pre-written and has 30 chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my reader and followers, thank you! I wish I had to the to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Posing in the good guy was harder than Edward anticipated.

He enforced some rules for his own good: to stay away from cars, school gangs and parties. If he could keep these ground rules, he was sure his efforts would impress the jury in the summer when they decided his fate.

Edward had informed Emmett of his self-imposed rules and his cousin was proud of him, but he didn't give him more than a month in respecting them. He thought he knew Edward better than he knew himself.

"Ready?" Bella inquired after pulling up in an empty spot in the school's parking lot.

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road." Edward stepped out of the car and opened the back door to grab his backpack.

"You still have your schedule?" she checked.

"Yes," he groaned, patting his jacket's pocket. "And it's not like I'll need it. We share all the classes."

"You'll get sick of me." Bella laughed, opening the school's door. "Welcome to Fredonia High School!" She elbowed Edward in the ribs.

He shook his head, chuckling.

There were students milling up and down the school hallways, getting reacquainted after being separated for three months. Some of the students attending in Fredonia weren't locals, the school district included unincorporated communities close to the Grand Canyon National Park, such as the Kaibab Indian Reservation. They were only a few dozen people living in the Reservation and they came down to the closest town for school and jobs.

"Okay, so I'll tell you about all of them. Like in every school there are groups."

"So I'm stuck with the Chess Club nerds?" Edward wondered teasingly.

Bella narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll have you know I'm the one of the two girls allowed in the bad boys' group. Of course, you're free to join the Chess Club… good luck with that, though since it's not even formed. We don't have such a thing."

Edward couldn't believe his ears. She was part of the bad boys' gang? Really? Maybe Emmett was right and he couldn't keep his promise to himself.

"We have a football team but we're not that good. There's the team." Bella pointed to a group of boys leaning against their lockers. "And of course, the cheerleaders are flocking around them," she added with a scowl toward the girls swarming around the team.

"So it's no use to try out? I like football," he said thoughtfully.

"Suit yourself, but don't go near them." She shuddered. "For your own…health…you know?"

He knew and nodded in understanding.

As they walked farther down the hallway, Bella pointed out different people, some teachers who were passing by trying in vain to keep the excited students under control. Edward figured everyone was hyped-up after a long summer break, no matter the place they were from.

"This is us." Bella nodded to their lockers, conveniently next to each other. "Oh, I thought they were skipping already!"

Edward looked up in time to see a group of five approaching. These were the Native Americans from the Reservation, he could tell by their skin color and strong built. The boy leading the group had shoulder length black hair, a blue shirt and dark jeans. His eyes were on Bella and when he reached them, he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up and spinning her.

"Long time, no see, Bells."

Bella placed her hands on his shoulders. "Yeah, well…you know James." She leaned down to kiss this guy's cheek, and once she was back on her feet, she took a step closer to Edward. "Guys, this is Edward, the exchange student. They're my friends: Jake, Seth, Paul, Sam and Leah." She introduced them.

"Any friend of Bella's is my friend," Seth, the shortest of the group, told Edward, extending his hand for a shake.

"Nice to meet you," Edward said, eyeing the wannabe intimidating group. He realized Jake had pulled Bella away and they were having a heated conversation. "I don't expect you to like me just yet, but you're kinda stuck with me since Bella's my host."

Jake turned his eyes on Edward, scrutinizing him up and down before nodding, walking closer and extending his hand. "You're in, man."

Edward internally patted himself on the back. He knew how this thing worked. He'd been the leader of his gang back in Chicago. Besides, Jake wasn't a good leader. He didn't have the right amount of negativeness in his life to be a bad guy. He tried, Edward had to give him credit for that. He was probably the son of the Indian's leader and he thought he didn't get the deserved attention because of his father. They could be friends as they related on that subject—the father being mighty and the son expected to be something else.

It didn't take long for Edward to understand the group's dynamics. Everyone listened to Jake, because he was the brains of the gang. Seth was their newest addition and was eager to prove himself, mostly messing up when he tried to be what he wasn't. Paul was the muscles of their group and resorted to throwing punches when someone didn't do as he wanted—like some sad fellow who was sitting in his chair in their English class. As if his name was written on that chair. Then there were Sam and Leah, the couple, which made them act like a team, usually having each other's back.

The whole group was a big chaos, and it made Edward sad, reminding him of his friends.

Of course, there was Bella, too, in the group. He hadn't figured her place yet, but what he noticed was that Jake was giving her long looks.

When school finally let out for the day, Edward learned about the group's way of transportation—dirt bikes. As he originally thought: wannabe bad boys. The bikes were Honda and of what he could see, they were in pretty good shape.

"Nice," Edward commented, gesturing to the bikes. "I'm more a car kinda guy, but these are nice."

"You know cars?" Jake asked hopeful.

Cursing his mouth for speaking without thinking, Edward shrugged.

"I have a '69 Mustang Mach and have no idea what to do with it."

Edward's eyebrows shot up. "What?" _You want to give it me?_ He nearly asked that but stopped himself on time. "Are you joking?"

Jake pointed to Bella making Edward's blood drown from his head. "This one managed to get it on the best bargain ever. What was it, Bells? Two hundred bucks?"

"What kind of idiot sells a Mach on…nothing?" Edward was outraged.

"Some guy at the scrap metals junk yard. He gave me that car and two bikes as bonus. Crazy." She waved her hand in the universal _he's crazy_ gesture.

"Wow. Then something must be terribly wrong with the car…and bikes," Edward said after thinking for a while.

"It is." Jake nodded mournfully. "Sam and I, we managed to make the bikes work." He gestured to his bike. "The car, not so much. It's hard to find components."

"I bet. I had a Talladega. I never found pieces."

"But you know what to do? Cars aren't exactly my thing."

Edward nodded against his better judgment.

"Cool, man!" Jake bumped his shoulder. "Bring him over this weekend," he told Bella before hopping on his bike, putting the helmet on and taking off. The others followed his lead.

"Are you sure about this?" Bella asked on their way to her car.

 _No_. "Don't tell your brother."

"That won't be a problem." She winked.

When they arrived home, Edward saw for the first time James's cruiser. It was definitely not what he expected.

"Is that a Charger?" He needed confirmation because he hadn't seen a police car that brand, only in movies.

"Yeah. They need a powerful car to catch all the idiots who speed on the highway." Bella smirked at him. "My car won in a challenge between the two so I'm not impressed by his police car. But that was when this one had the nitro gas tank and it was…someone else's car."

 _Brady's_ , Edward thought to himself. "Huh. Well, still. I'm impressed with their vehicles. The police in Chicago have good old Ford Crown Vics."

"See, small towns aren't that bad." Winking, Bella left the car.

Edward followed her, his eyes on the Charger. He was a guy who lived for cars, no one could blame him for the eye-fucking.

Bella and Edward found James in the kitchen, on the phone and rolling the cord on his finger. He looked worried, unaware of the company. They couldn't make out what he was mumbling into the receiver but Bella grabbed Edward's wrist and tugged him to the living room. She threw her bag on the floor and flopped on the couch.

"When you see him doing that, you better stay out of his way. There's news about…a friend. Now it depends if they're good or bad, they're usually the same—bad," she explained. "Anyway…what's your first impression of high school here?"

Edward sat next to her on the couch, slouching low, stretching his legs under the coffee table. "It's good. I like it."

She grinned. "You'll see there's nothing to be afraid. Life here is as normal as anywhere else."

"I'm starting to see this. Your friend, Jake, he's cool."

Bella stiffened, looking worried over her shoulder. "Don't speak of him around James. He's always called on the Rez for the deeds Jake's doing—the bad deeds, of course."

"Hey, kids!" James called cheerfully from the doorway. "B, I'm going to Vicky's for a few days. You two good alone?"

"Yeah, we'll manage. Right, Edward?" She checked, bumping her knee into Edward's.

"Yeah, cool." He nodded.

"Alright. Can I talk to you for a minute?" James jerked his head toward the kitchen, motioning for Edward to follow him. He obeyed, worried of what the cop could want from him. He'd been good.

"Listen, kid," James said once they were alone in the kitchen. "I want us to be friends as I told you before. Promise you'll keep an eye on my sister. For a while she hasn't been herself. I swear she's doing this on purpose, to irk me."

"Sure. I'll take care of her."

"And if I hear you went back on your word about your old habits, we'll have a serious talk."

"I swear to you I want to change…forget what I used to do back home."

"I hope so, for your own good." He patted Edward on the back before leaving him in the middle of the kitchen.

That night as Edward lay in his bed, waiting for sleep to come, he thought of his promise to himself and of Emmett's words. If he could control this addiction—because he was sure racing had become an addiction to him—he knew helping Jake restore that car would be testing his limits. He loved living on the edge, and befriending Jake was going to be like dangling off the rim of the cliff. Edward hoped he wouldn't fall, he really hoped.

The following days were filled with getting used to the new school, becoming friends with Bella's friends and helping Jake make a list of car pieces he might need. Classes were annoying him because the teachers expected him to know more than his fellow students, like they taught him more in Chicago. He'd always tried to keep good grades, but there were subjects he absolutely hated.

That Friday, after classes, Edward was called to meet with Coach Stewart. He apologized to Bella for keeping her waiting around for him, but she waved him off, saying she'd chat with Jake. When Edward returned from his fifteen minutes talk with the coach, he was still in shock over the news.

He stopped next to Jake's bike where Bella and Jake were leaning, sharing a bag of crunchy Cheetos.

"You okay, man?" Jake asked, seeing how pale his friend was.

"Uh, I thought there were try-outs to get on the team," Edward said lamely.

"Stew got you on the team? Tell me you're not going to accept!" Jake scowled, throwing part of a stick in his mouth.

Bella elbowed Jake, pushing off the bike. "He likes football, idiot. If you get on the team, it's okay. We'll support you."

"I think…I'm already on the team?" Edward said unsure. "He told me to be there for practice on Wednesday."

"Guess, it wasn't a good idea to trip Alec in the cafeteria the other day, huh?" Jake guffawed.

"Fuck. Well, I trust my mad football skills to make him and the team forgive me." Edward beamed at his friends. "Anyway, what time can we come over tomorrow?" he asked Jake.

"Whenever, man. Really, Bella knows she's welcomed any time."

"Cool. We'll see you tomorrow, then." Edward was worried of being around a car again, but he had faith in his willpower.

On the way home, he realized that without noticing he'd broken his own promise in only one week. He was part of a school gang—the worst of the ones in that school, he was going to start repairing an old car and the temptation would be too much for him not to take the restored car for a spin, and of course the last on his list was parties. He'd have to attend at least one now that he was part of the football team.

Edward hated to tell Emmett that he had been right, so he decided to completely avoid talking to his cousin until he contacted him. Being a cop, he always sensed when Edward was hiding something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teaser and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my reader and followers, thank you! I wish I had to the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Saturdays were reserved for sleeping in, not waking at the crack of dawn.

Bella was hovering over Edward's sleeping form, shaking his shoulder. He kept on snoring, not even flinching from her abuse.

"Wake up, dude!" She pinched his side.

He rolled on his back, showing his toned stomach where the white wife-beater had ridden up. Bella's eyes trained on the showing skin and the dark trail of hair leading inside his blue and black plaid boxers.

"Edward," she hissed, tearing her eyes off his stomach.

"Jesus, what do you want?" he slurred, cracking an eye open.

"We need to go. Jimmy said he'd be back around ten. I want to be gone by the time he arrives, or we'll never leave."

"What time is it?" Edward muttered, sitting up and yawning loudly.

"Close to eight."

He palmed his face, moaning. "Are you joking? No way. I'm going back to sleep."

"No, you're not!" Bella grabbed his left arm and pulled him out of the bed with all her force. "We have a long day ahead."

"I'm not a morning person."

"You're about to start being one. I made sandwiches and coffee. Come on. Hurry."

He went through his morning routine in slow motion. If he'd known she was going to wake him this early, he wouldn't have stayed up late last night. Finally done with his shower and dressed in shorts along with a tee, paired with his Chucks, Edward went in search of Bella. She was already in the car outside, the engine on idle.

"Lock up, will ya?" She threw him the keys through her open window.

Scowling, Edward did as told before trudging to the passenger door. Bella passed him a cup of coffee.

"Try not to spill."

"I'll do my best. Is it far away?"

"About twenty minutes' drive."

They drove in silence for a while as Edward sipped on his coffee. He could feel the effects invigorating him slowly.

"Can I ask something? You don't have to answer," Bella said softly.

"Yeah." He turned his attention to her.

"What time did you fall asleep? I thought you went to bed after the movie ended…around ten."

"Yeah, but I couldn't sleep so I got on Facebook and found one of my friends online. We talked until…late." He wasn't ready to admit they chatted until three in the morning.

Jasper was probably his only true friend left after everything that happened back home. Edward had met Jasper a few years back, but they didn't hit it off since Jasper was older. They became friends when Edward got interested in car racing.

"Nice. I should have told you we were waking up early. Sorry."

"Don't worry. The coffee is waking me up. Thanks." He threw her a smile.

She smiled back, before focusing on the road.

Edward kept his eyes on Bella, musing over how easy she was to be around. He'd never befriended a girl for the sake of a friendship. The girls in his life had one purpose—to give him relief and just about that.

"Can you stop staring?" she inquired. "It's unnerving."

He laughed, looking away just in time to see the sign welcoming them to Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation. The houses were small and mostly made of logs.

They drove for another five minutes, then Bella pulled in front of a house. She grabbed her phone and sent a text message, letting Jake know they had arrived. Edward stepped out of the car, admiring the view. He'd always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, and never thought he'd live so close to it, or actually get to visit. Bella started pointing out in the distance where the Canyon was when Jake joined them, clapping Edward on the back.

"Our little Bella here wants to become a tour guide one day," he said, wrapping an arm around her, hugging her.

"Yeah, so?" She huffed, pushing him away. She avoided looking at Edward, embarrassed in her desired job. She should probably want to work somewhere away from her small town, but as she had mentioned, she didn't like big cities.

"Show me the culprit," Edward said with a big smile. He couldn't wait to see the car.

Jake had said it was in a bad shape, but what Edward saw was worse than bad shape. The poor car was rotting and even had weeds growing from inside. He could see why that man had sold it for only two hundred.

"How much are you willing to invest in it?" he asked Jake, walking around the once green car, now the paint peeling off it, its place taken by rust.

"As much as it's necessary. I have plans with it."

"Plans?" Edward frowned, feeling his heart stuttering.

Jake glanced at Bella and seeing she was over on the other side of the garage, dusting off a bike, he leaned into Edward. "I want to race. I hear you can earn quite a lot of money if you win."

_NO! Go away. Leave. Turn around now and tell him you can't help._

"It's gonna cost a lot to repair it, but the outcome might cover all the money you invest in it," he said against his better judgment.

Edward started inspecting the car from every angle, inside out, rattling things off to Bella who scribbled them on a sheet of paper. Jake was impressed with all the knowledge his new friend had about cars. He even estimated a price, which scared Jake, but he was determined to have this car running by the end of the year.

"I know a guy who probably knows someone around here where we can get cheaper pieces," Edward said thoughtfully. "I'll ask him."

"Thank you so much, man! When we get the pieces, we'll start working."

"We can start now, Jake. We need to take everything off the car, clean it and see if we can salvage anything. It would be a shame not to use original parts if they're still good."

Bella offered to help them, but when she scratched her arm on a spring under the seat, the boys sent her away. She slumped on said seat which was now out of the car, watching as they worked. She could see how careful Edward was with every part he took off the car. It was as if the parts were fragile, precious gewgaws. It also didn't hurt that he got sweaty and kept wiping his brow with the hem of his shirt, exposing his toned stomach every so often. Bella barely noticed when Jake took his shirt off, her eyes were trained on her housemate.

Deciding to distance herself from them, from Edward, before she did something stupid she offered to go buy some food. Jake told her she could get something from inside his house. With that, she disappeared from the garage.

"So, do you like it here?"

Edward was inspecting what lay under the car's hood and Jake's question made his head shot up. "It's definitely not what I expected," he answered, shrugging.

"In a good way?"

"Yeah." Edward nodded. "It is a place in the middle of the desert, but at least the people living here are not what I thought. I can't say much about James—he's a cop, what else is there to say besides constant vigilance?" He chuckled at his own joke. "Besides, he hasn't been around."

"And Bella?" Jake watched his friend carefully.

"She's nice. Again, not what I expected. She's different than all the other girls I met in Chicago."

"Yeah, that's Bella for you. Definitely not a girly girl. She's cut from tough root, but if she wants something badly she's not afraid to use her womanly charms. I've seen it done." Jake wriggled his eyebrows.

Edward frowned, tearing his eyes off the engine and meeting Jake's black ones. "So you're dating?"

"Nah. It's just wishful thinking on my part." He got out of the car where he'd been looking through the glove compartment. "We tried last year, and she said it was awkward. Lucky, we could bounce back to being friends."

"Huh. Sometimes, friendship is more valuable than a relationship. I think things get complicated if you get involved with your best friend that way."

"Speaking from experience?"

"My best friend started dating a common friend we both considered our bestie. They're still going strong, but it got odd for me," Edward explained. To this day Jasper hadn't understood the awkwardness behind him banging Alice. Edward had known Alice most of his life since their families were friends, and suddenly he introduced his best friend to her and a few months later they announced him they were dating. Mind fuck.

"Huh." Jake was about to warn Edward on making a move on Bella because he was protective of her, and there was always James to shoot him, but the subject of their conversation returned to the garage with a tray filled with food.

Edward rushed to help her, beating Jake to it. The way she smiled in gratitude made Jake wonder if his friend was starting to feel something more than friendship toward the newest addition to their group. He liked Edward, he was a great guy, but they didn't know much about him. And Jake had been around enough to know there was more to the story Edward painted for them.

Sitting on the front seats of the car—now resting on the garage's floor—with Bella between them, they ate from the tray, chatting aimlessly. Even the seats needed restoration, the leather peeling off and even the yellowish cushion was coming out in some parts. There was a lot of work on the car.

Jake and Bella promised Edward to take him on a hike to show him around because there was too much beauty to miss out on. She was in the middle of explaining about a waterfall while gesticulating widely when her phone went off.

"Shit. That's Jimmy," she mumbled. Pressing _Answer_ , she put the phone to her ear. "Hey, Jimmy."

"Hey, you. Are you coming home today? Where are you anyway?" he demanded.

"I'm showing Edward around. We'll be there in half an hour, cool?"

"Drop by the store on the way home. You have any money on you?"

She stood, gesturing for Edward to follow her. "Yeah. What do you want me to buy?"

As James started rattling off a list of groceries, Bella and Edward said good-bye to Jake. Since she was on the phone, Edward ended up behind the wheel again. It wasn't as scary this time, because he'd driven a few more times in the past week. The impulse to accelerate and let the car fly was still there, but he kept thinking of disappointing Emmett and his parents.

The shopping trip reminded Edward why he hated doing this very thing. He was designated as the cart pusher while Bella ran up and down aisles, throwing boxes in the cart. He tried not to stare at some things displayed, but it was hard to see shotguns right next to coats, or an array of knifes that didn't look like kitchen utensils. He was also shocked at the low prices. He found a nice tee with only one dollar, and he knew it would be at least ten bucks back in Chicago. Hanging the tee on the handle of the cart, he went in search of Bella.

She was in the frozen products area, examining two packets.

"Need help?" Edward offered, stopping next to her.

Jumping, startled, Bella turned toward him. "Do you like legs or breasts?" she asked distracted, still looking at the packets.

"Sorry?" Edward nearly shouted. His eyes zeroed on her nice rack then to her bare legs. What kind of question was that?

Bella shoved the packets under his nose. "Chicken legs or breasts?"

"Oh." His eyes widened, and he choked out a nervous laugh.

Bella's wide brown eyes narrowed at him, before she transferred one of the packets to her other hand so she could whack him in the shoulder with her little fist. "Boys," she grumbled.

He gave her a bashful smile. "Legs…if they're well roast… with that crust. You know?"

"Uh, I'm no cook." She gave him a look. "Jimmy will make them on the grill. So legs?"

"Yup."

Putting the chicken breasts back, she placed the legs in their cart and touched his elbow. "Let's go."

Hissing, Edward withdrew his arm. "You're cold!" he whined.

"You're such a cry baby."

"I'm not. Your hands are waaay too cold."

They kept bickering on the way to the cash registers. The magnetic band was empty and the casher was taking the money from the person ahead of them, so they made quick work of their products, placing them on the band.

"Can you grab one?" Bella pointed to the rack next to the magnetic band.

There were displayed different types of chewing gum, Skittles, batteries and condoms. Edward followed the path Bella's finger pointed at and his eyebrows shot up.

"Uh, I think…you should get whatever you want. I'm not going to get condoms for you."

Her face flamed and she looked arrowed worried someone might have overheard their conversation. "I wanted Skittles!" she hissed.

Oh. She shouldn't be upset, he was guy and of course he thought of the condoms.

Edward grabbed two different packets of Skittles, putting them on the band.

They stayed quiet until they left the store. When they stepped outside in the heat of the evening air, Edward turned to Bella.

"Sorry. I'm such a moron sometimes."

"Don't worry. I'm used to having a guy around. James is worse, believe me." She patted his arm. "It wasn't as awkward as when my brother said or did something equally embarrassing, or like the time I found a pair of lacy underwear in his pants' pocket while doing laundry. Man, that was awkward."

"If I wasn't so scared of him, I'd probably make a comment of his preference of women underwear."

Bella laughed. "Don't worry. We had that convo. I chose to casually ask why didn't he tell me about his kink about wearing lacy panties at a wrong time. He was in the middle of drinking coffee. Man, that was nasty. He sprayed it out of his nose."

Edward burst out laughing, imagining the whole scene.

"Not funny, dude," Bella groaned. "I was sixteen back then." She shuddered.

"Huh, so you're…like, keeping that house in order?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Jimmy helps too. We share our tasks. He cooks and cleans his room, while I do most of everything else. But it's not set in stone. If he has time, he helps with cleaning the house, ironing clothes, you know? We're a team." She let out a heavy, sad sigh. "We have to work together."

Edward bit his tongue to keep from asking about their parents. "Let's put these in the trunk and get back, before he calls again."

"Smart idea." She gave him a small, grateful smile. Bella wasn't ready to speak of her parents, but she had a feeling she'd cave and open up to Edward sooner or later. He never put questions and he seemed to be a good listener.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

When Edward pulled up in front of the garage, having driven the car again, he saw James outside. A sheer sweat covered his neck and back, and it didn't have anything to do with the heat outside.

James wrapped up his conversation with their neighbor when he saw Bella's car parking. His eyes narrowed at the driver, but he forgot about being upset when he saw his sister jumping out and waving to him over the top of the car.

"Hey, bro!" She beamed at him.

Edward looked over at him nervously as he left the car, going to the trunk. He kept glancing at James while taking their grocery bags out.

"He's not the bad guy," Bella whispered to Edward, joining him. "He's trying to intimidate you because well…he's my big brother and a cop, and you're the threat."

"I'm the threat?" Edward asked in mock hurt.

"Yup." She giggled, making her way inside the house with her arms full.

"Need any help?" James asked, appearing next to Edward.

"I got it. Thanks."

James still took one of the most voluminous bags from Edward, leading the way to the house. "I hear Bella showed you around."

"Yeah. It's a beautiful area," Edward answered truthfully. "We're going for a hike soon."

"Bella, hiking? Good luck with that, kid!" James guffawed. "Take the First Aid Kit with you, though."

"I heard that!" Bella shouted. She appeared in the kitchen doorway. She glared at her brother while snatching the bags from Edward's hands. "It happened once! ONCE, James. It's not like I'm some clumsy fuck."

"Hey, watch that mouth."

"Or what? Really. Wake up, dude! I'm no longer a little girl and I can take care of myself!" She stormed into the kitchen, banging around.

"She said it, man," Edward chuckled, but when James glared at him, he disappeared toward his room.

It wasn't hard to notice Bella was no longer a little girl. Heck, he'd noticed alright. Due to the constant heat, Bella was wearing close to nothing in the house. She even went out like that today—short pants and a flimsy top that left little to the imagination. It had been hard for him at the frozen area in the store where he could see what the cold air was doing to her.

Edward had been trying not to give in to the temptation. He wanted to be Bella's friend, because starting something might complicate his life more than it already was. Starting a relationship—something he'd never had and had no idea what to do—was always bad if the whole thing was based on a lie. He couldn't very well tell her the truth, and expect her to accept him. That would be wishful thinking on his part, besides he didn't have time for such things. He had to focus on school and helping Jake with the car without slipping.

To give him something to do, Edward booted up his laptop and sent Jasper an e-mail explaining the situation with Jake and asking for help with the car parts.

There was a knock on his door, scaring the crap out of him. Rationally, he knew James couldn't know what he had just sent, but sweat still rolled down his temple as he opened the door and found the cop on the other side.

"I need help with the grill. It's either that or helping Bella with the salad."

Edward considered his answer. To spend more time than necessary around James or be a pain in the ass for Bella? He chose the second option.

"Salad."

James snorted, but accepted the answer. "Go on. Help her." He disappeared through the back door going out in the yard to prepare the grill.

When Edward arrived in the kitchen, he was greeted by Bella's ass in the air as she was checking whatever was in the oven.

 _Fuck me_ , he thought to himself.

"Your brother said you needed help," he said, announcing her of his presence.

She whirled around. "Can you watch the potatoes? Don't let them burn."

"Sure." He walked over and crouched to inspect the inside of the oven. Kitchen and cooking was something he knew very well from staying around his mom, but he wasn't going to admit as much to Bella.

After dinner that night, Edward went to shower, and when he was done he went in search for Bella. He'd gotten used to their movie nights. Every night since the day he arrived, they had watched a movie before going to bed.

Bella wasn't in her room. Curious of why she wasn't there, Edward started searching for her until he heard voices from the living room. He stopped near the doorway, eavesdropping.

"…and there's a possibility he'll wake up," James said hopefully.

"I knew it. You wouldn't have rushed there if it was just for your usual visit." Bella was pacing, worrying her hand in front of her. "Is that certain? That he'll awake?"

"Bella, nothing is certain when it comes to Brady. You know that." James's tone was dull, lifeless. "Anyway, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Regarding Brady?"

"Not everything gravitates around him. It's about _me_."

"Oh. What about you?" she grumbled, slumping on the couch.

"We're growing tired of this—me and Vicky—seeing each other when I go over to visit my friend."

"Don't tell me you never rushed there for a booty call!" Bella rolled her eyes making James narrow his eyes at her. "What, it's true!"

"Fine. I might have gone over to Phoenix just to see her, but that's beside the point. I want to tell you something important."

"You want to marry her and have two point five kids, but can't until the thorn in your side is off to college. I get it."

"Isabella!" he shouted making her cringe. "Marriage is still a future plan, far away future."

"Yeah, cuz thirty is way too young to get married."

"I want to ask Vicky to move in with us. She's wanted to leave the hospital in Phoenix for a while now," he blurted out, waiting for his sister's reply. He was never nervous, but admitting his desire to her scared him. If she said no, he'd accept her wish. Her word was more important to him than anyone else's.

Edward was gaping at the wall in the hallway, willing his legs to carry him back to his room. He had intruded enough on their private conversation. Even though he had learned a little more on that Brady person—he was apparently in the hospital, Edward had already heard too much about James's love life.

"I never liked her," Bella answered, getting Edward's attention. "But she's your girlfriend, James."

"You don't want this. I expected as much. I understand. Okay."

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, Jimmy. I know you're trapped here because of me, and no amount of me telling you I can take of myself would make you leave."

"Leave you alone here? Are you insane, baby sis? I think Mom and Dad would haunt me forever if I did such a thing!"

Bella let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, I bet. Let me sleep on it. I'll tell you in the morning what I decided."

"Think about it. Take as long as you want, it's not something I want to do tomorrow," James told her, hugging her.

She returned the hug, snuggling into his warm embrace. "What are the chances for Brady to be…alright when…if, no... _when_ he wakes up?"

"Alright? As in remember things? Be able to move? I have no idea, Bella. Time will tell."

She sniffed, looking up at him. "If anything like that would happen…I'd regret my decision on keeping him wired in this stupid coma. He'd hate me."

"Bella," James's voice broke. "That would be Collin's thing to worry about. He had more of a say in the whole thing than you," he reminded her, but his sister was already flying out of the room.

Still stunned into place, Edward had time to flat his back to the hallway wall as Bella zoomed past him. She didn't notice him, thankfully.

When he heard footsteps coming to him, knowing it was James, he walked casually to the kitchen. James gave him an inquisitive look, but shrugged and went to his own room.

After hearing their conversation, Edward had more questions about Brady than he ever had. Of what Bella had said, he figured he was her boyfriend, but then it seemed that Collin guy was closer to Brady—a brother, or boyfriend?

"Oh, you're awake!" Bella gasped from the doorway. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying.

"What happened? Have you been crying?" Edward asked concerned, trying not to give away that he knew the reason she was upset.

"It's nothing." She waved her hand around.

"It's not nothing." He walked to her and cupped her cheek. "Tell me."

"It's a long story, Edward. Another time?" She looked up at him, smiling slowly. "Thanks…you know for…caring?"

"That's what friends do, right? _We'_ re friends."

"We are." Bella wrapped her arms around his waist. They had only known each other for a week, but they had grown close and developed a strong friendship. "Movie?"

"Can I choose tonight?"

"Sure. You know where I keep my movies."

He nodded, though he had another plan. It was time to introduce her to his own stack of movies. Lucky, he had put some in his laptop before leaving. After thinking about his decision, he thought fuck it; he put on _Gone in Sixty Seconds_. It was a great movie and there were cars. If he couldn't tell her about himself, he was going to show her. If she figured it out, that remained to be seen.

Bella poked her head in Edward's room. "Ready?"

"Yeah. You mind if we move the quarters to my room? The movie's on my laptop."

"Oh, no! That's great." She grinned, happy to see what he had chosen.

They settled on the bed, their backs resting against the headboard, laptop at their feet on top of a pile of blankets. Bella wrapped her arms around her legs which were drawn to her chest, staring at the screen.

Edward could tell she wasn't present one hundred percent, but kept his tongue. Eventually, she focused on the action and became as animated as he had come to know she was during a movie. She always gestured, gasped, shook her fist at the screen and held her breath at the appropriate moments.

When the movie ended, she turned to Edward with wide eyes. "I'm not pro stealing…anything, but damn. I think it would be cool to do that."

"Steal a car?" he joked, feeling the tips of his ears turn red. It was much more complicated than she thought, but he didn't tell her.

"Steal anything," she whispered. "I'm a horrible liar. When I was younger, around five, I think…I stole Jimmy's car. His toy car—it was one of those fancy, shiny collection cars. A Ferrari, I think. I really liked it and I snagged it from his room. He searched for it frantically, because it used to sit on his desk. I was stupid."

"He found it in your room?"

"No." She laughed nervously. "I brought it to him a few days later, apologizing. He told me I was a crappy thief and that he knew it was me because of my guilty expression every time I looked at him."

Edward chuckled. "Lying is hard," he acknowledged. His words held more meaning than he cared to admit.

"Thanks for the movie. Maybe you can choose again tomorrow?" Bella offered, crawling out of the bed.

"Sure. G'night, Bella."

"Night." She waved to him over her shoulder before leaving his room.

Settling to sleep, Edward found himself hugging the pillow Bella had used, sniffing it. Her fruity scent lingered on the pillowcase, and once he asleep, he dreamt of his housemate—Bella, of course—and wished these weren't just dreams and that one day he'd be able to tell her everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Time seemed to fly when you were busy, especially when you did something you liked. That applied to Edward.

When it came to school, he was constantly busy with homework and football practice. In his free time, he spent most of his time on the Rez with Jake, helping him with the car.

The first time he took Bella's car alone to the Rez and returned late at night, James was waiting in the hallway, glaring daggers. He threatened to send his ass directly to juvie, but Edward explained he'd been at Jake's under the pretext they had a project to work on together. James had to buy his excuse, but told him to never drive Bella's car on his own. That faced him with a problem. Edward didn't feel like walking so many miles from Fredonia to Kaibab. Jake solved his problem by lending him one of the bikes in his garage—apparently one of them was Bella's, but she was forbidden to ride it.

The only time she drove it, she nearly cracked her head open, scaring Jake for life.

At last, that bike became useful. It took Edward a while to figure out how to work it, and in the end he realized it wasn't that difficult.

His frequent visits to Jake had one good outcome—the car started looking like a real car once again. Jake had peeled off the old paint and was treating the metal with substances against rust, while Edward usually worked on the engine. They had a few more important pieces missing, and if they got them, the car could be running by Christmas break.

There was a bad outcome, too, of his frequent visits to Jake's. James started suspecting that they were up to something, which made him question Edward every night or morning, depending on the cop's shift. He wasn't Jake's greatest fan which made him a suspect even if he hadn't done anything bad, and knowing Edward's background, no one could blame him for suspecting something was up. Though, he couldn't go check on Jake without real ground that something was wrong. James was waiting for one of them to make a mistake so he could grab a warrant and go search that boy's house.

They were in the middle of October and Edward had a game. He was going to be late, but the new floor for the Mustang had come and when Jake let him know, he couldn't stay away. Edward had been worried about the full floor not fitting being from a previous model. He was excited to see it fit perfectly and instead of just leaving, he stayed to install it.

Edward was under the car, screwing some nuts when he found himself being pulled out by his ankles. His eyes widened and he choked on his saliva when he saw James in front of him.

 _I'm dead._ That was all he could think of as he stood, wiping his dirty hands on his shorts.

"You're going to explain to me all about this after the game. Until then, get in my car before you're thrown off the team for tardiness."

Jake, who wasn't a great fan of football but had promised to be there for his friend's game, hopped on his bike and followed the cruiser back to the town.

James was awfully quiet on the drive to the school and Edward silently wondered if he'd have to wear orange at juvie. It would clash with the bronze streaks in his hair.

"Focus on the game. If it will make you feel better, I'm not going to call anyone about what I saw. Not until I hear your side of the story," James told him once parked in the school yard. "Now, go and win. God knows our team hasn't won in too long."

 _Maybe Bella is right and James isn't that bad_ , Edward mused to himself as he walked to the lockers. Coach Stewart thundered when he spotted his extremely late team member. Apologizes weren't enough, but Edward thought he could prove himself through winning.

As soon as he was on the field, he tried not to laugh at the other team. Why was his team worried about them? They were pretty decent, he'd seen it through practice. It didn't take long for Edward to understand both his team and the other were rubbish at football. He was the only one running, ducking and tackling the others. All the points on the board were due to his efforts.

After the break, the other team decided to attack him instead of playing fair, and tried winning by resorting to punches and kicks. Edward, who was experienced with how aggressive football could get, knew how to defend himself. But even for him it was too much when a tall and muscular guy from the enemy team threw him into the pole of the post mark head first and when he went down, his head spinning, the other kicked him in the stomach hard.

Of course, the game was interrupted and Edward got rushed to the local hospital. He refused to be treated until James was there to assure him no one would know of his past from his medical file. He knew there were a lot of inexplicable broken ribs, broken nose and bruised wrists.

When James and Bella arrived, James went off to talk to the doctor and Bella sat next to Edward, taking his hand. She stared at him worried, biting her bottom lip and with tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry. I had worse." He tried to pacify her, patting the top of her hand.

"It's just…hospitals and me…I don't do well around here…I feel woozy."

Edward sat up and got out of the bed, not really needing all the coddling. "You better lie down then." He helped her down on time for his doctor and James to return.

"Christ, Bella." James rushed to her side. "I'm sorry for bringing you here but Edward's kind of my responsibility too now that he's living with us. I had to make sure he was okay." Saying that, he turned to Edward gave him a small nod. Sighing in relief, he followed the doctor to do a check on his nose and ribs. Nothing was broken, Edward knew, but he allowed the doctor to do his job. It was probably the most action he got there in months.

An hour later they arrived home with strict instructions for Edward to lay it low for a few days. James went to the station to question the guy who hit Edward, apparently forgetting about what he had seen Edward doing before the game.

Maybe getting hurt saved his ass.

Bella, who was once again her hyper self, made sure Edward was in bed before she started to coddle him. She made him tea and brought his favorite snacks, she put on his favorite TV show on the laptop, she even offered him a pack of ice for his nose.

"Can you stop fretting? I'll survive. Just sit down. You're giving me headache."

"But you're hurt!" She pouted.

"And it's not your fault. Come on, sit down, Bella," he said softly, patting the spot next to him.

"I've wanted to do something nice for you ever since my birthday. I still can't believe Jimmy corrupted you into making me breakfast in bed and buying me flowers. It was too much."

"He didn't make me do anything I wouldn't have done if I'd known it was your birthday."

"I barely knew you, Edward. It was what, not even two weeks since we met and when did you expect me to tell you about my upcoming birthday? Don't worry. You were both too nice with me." She smiled shyly, leaning into his side. "Does it hurt?"

"Nah." His side was flaring in pain, but he wasn't ready to admit that. "We have a problem, though."

"What's that?" She looked up at him worried.

"Your brother knows about our little secret." He raised an eyebrow at her, trying to make her understand what he was saying.

Her face turned red. "What secret?"

"Mach One. He took me from under the car to bring me to the game."

Understanding dawned to her, quickly being replaced by frenzied worry. Edward managed to calm her and promise he'd talk to James once he was back. Speaking of that problem, it reminded Edward of Jake, and he made a quick phone call to his friend letting him know he was put to bed rest, but he'd survive.

While watching the show, Bella managed to fall asleep—her head on Edward's shoulder, her arms around his arm, snuggling close. He wasn't bothered by the closeness, soaking in every minute he got around her like this.

When the fifth episode of the season was starting, Edward could feel his eyes dropping, but his drowsiness was gone when a strong arm grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him off the bed.

"The fuck?" Edward groaned, sleepily. "Ow." He grabbed his side, doubling over. He allowed himself to be pulled out of his room.

 _Guess it's time to face the music_ , he mused silently as he blinked rapidly, trying to focus on James's angry features.

"The fuck indeed, kid! That's my sister in bed with you!" James spat.

"What? I know. We were watching this movie…and I guess we fell asleep. I swear, it's not like that."

"Do you expect me to believe you? I've been worried something like this would happen ever since I accepted Emmett's proposition, taking you in here."

"You know Emmett?" Edward asked stupidly.

James huffed, folding his arms over his chest. "If you plan on…" He gestured to the door behind Edward. "Keep in mind that I can squish you like a bug. If you hurt a hair on her head, I'll make sure you won't see daylight again."

"That's the best blessing I heard from a big brother."

James pushed Edward in the wall making him whimper in pain. "I know your kind, boy. You're changed, as you promised. You're different than all the records from Chicago said, but one person can't change one-eighty like that. I'm waiting for you to step wrong. And you better not step wrong with my baby sis," he finished his threat with a final shove in Edward's shoulder. "As for that car in Black's garage, I hope for your own good, you're simply helping the boy to repair his car and not creating a racing vehicle. If that's true, you can kiss your freedom goodbye."

Edward had never been so scared in his life. Realizing his grave mistake, he rushed in his room, grabbed his phone and went out in the backyard, calling his cousin. It kept going into voicemail, but Edward was insistent and he didn't stop until Emmett picked up.

"It better be good, cous."

"I'm fucked, Em."

"What have you done, man? Are you hurt?" Emmett asked worried, forgetting about being upset with his younger cousin.

In one long jumbled sentence, Edward explained to Emmett about the Mustang he was repairing. He kept to himself Jake's wish to race the car.

"Well, you said it yourself. He simply wants to repair the car, and you know cars. You help him. I don't see any harm in that…unless there's an ulterior motive in repairing that car. It's one powerful car."

"Emmett…"

"Edward, if you or him plan on…doing something stupid, simply stop helping him. If you get caught racing again, I can't help you anymore. Think of your parents, man."

"But I don't want to race it." Edward could hear the lie in his own voice. "Look, I won't, but if Jake wants…he's free to do whatever he wants. I'm just doing my job so to speak."

"I can't stop you, but think twice before you do something rash. Oh, and on that note, did you know that your e-mails are being intercepted? I had to pull in some strings to cover your stupid conversations with Jasper."

"What? That's private!"

"You're under the police's watch, Edward! Wake up, man!" Emmett growled. "Look, I have to go back. You kinda pulled me away from something…you know?"

"Sorry. Tell Rosalie I said sorry."

"Will do. Night, cous."

"Bye, Em."

Feeling worse than before he called Emmett, Edward dragged his feet to his room. After putting his laptop away and covering Bella with the blanket, he went to sleep in her room, hoping she wouldn't be upset. Her bed was filled with tons of plush animals making it look like a child lived in that room. Edward pushed all her toys to the floor, ready to take any punishment for that in the morning and crashed on the bed. Sleep came faster than he thought, but it was marred with bad dreams, all of them starring him in orange clothes and his mother crying.

The next morning, Edward found Bella and James in the kitchen. They were laughing over a Sudoku game. Bella was curious of why there were three of six in one square, and James seemed unable to answer her, scowling at the silly game.

"Good morning," Edward greeted the siblings, yawning.

"Coffee in the pot," Bella pointed out, knowing he needed caffeine to function.

"Thanks."

"How are you this morning?" James asked conversationally, eyeing Edward who poured himself coffee, added sugar and took a healthy gulp.

"I'm good." His side still hurt a little, but it was all bearable. "What happened with that guy?"

"He's suspended for two weeks from his school and has to do hours at the library."

"Nice." Edward had been there, done that.

They kept about their tasks in silence. Edward leaned over Bella's shoulder, drinking from him mug and watching as she tried to undo the mistakes her brother had written on the Sudoku, while James stared at the teenagers in front of him.

It was clear from the way they interacted that there was going to be a shift in their relationship, sooner rather than later. James noted the way Edward bent over his sister to point different things on the game and she smiled brightly, turning to face him every time; the way he rested his hand on her shoulder, or the way she leaned into him as she chewed on the end of the pencil. As much as James didn't want to accept his sister was growing up, he had to admit that if he didn't allow her to date she might rebel against him and do something stupid. Dating Edward might not be the best choice, but this way he could keep her boyfriend on a tight leash since he lived under his roof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Edward tried his best to avoid Jake's garage, but it only lasted a week. The latter kept begging his friend to visit and help him finish repairing the car.

After detailed searches on Jake's computer, Edward found the choke tube he needed, and at a decent price, along with suspension kit he had been looking for. He kept finding parts of the suspension kit, but there was always something missing. The only problem was that the closest store didn't make home deliveries, but it was located in St. George, Utah, only one hour away.

That was how Bella and Edward found themselves on a little trip on the last weekend of October. They had lied to James again, telling him Bella was going to show Edward more of the Grand Canyon area.

This time Edward couldn't keep his need for adrenaline under control and since the road was empty, he floored the gas pedal. Bella squeaked, holding on the bar above the passenger window with both hands.

"Are you insane? Slow down, dude!"

"We'll get there faster this way," he answered. The speed gave him a rush like nothing else. It was the only time he felt free and powerful.

The needle of the speedometer was going dangerously close to the right side.

"Edward, please!" Bella begged in a shaky voice. Her heart was beating out of the chest and she felt faint.

"Are you motion sick?" he asked confused, slowing the speed considerably. "Bella?" He turned to look at her as she burst in tears. "Shit."

She shrieked when the car left the asphalt area, rolling a few feet in the desert until it stopped. Edward took his seatbelt off, got out of the car and went on her side, opening her door. "What happened? It's more than me speeding."

Bella took her seatbelt off and fell in his arms, sobbing. "Br-ady is in the hospital, in a coma, because he sped. He didn't just speed…he was in a car race gone wrong. Edward, I hate speeding. I hate this car. He had the accident in this car."

He stroked her head, apologizing softly about speeding. His theory about Brady was right in part. He still couldn't believe she had just told him the truth about Brady, something that had bothered him from the beginning.

She sniffed, looking at him with wet eyes. "He was undercover to catch these idiots who liked to race on the highway… The speed was too great with the nitro and everything…and he lost control. That's what they said. All I remember is that Collin, Brady's boyfriend, came to our house in the middle of the night sobbing and telling James that Brady was rushed to Phoenix after a horrible car accident. He's been in a coma for about two years. Vicky, Jimmy's girlfriend, is a nurse at the hospital there and keeps us posted. Apparently, he's getting better and there's a chance for him to wake up. They started some sort of physical therapy to help him with recovery."

Edward felt awful hearing his favorite past time activity had gotten one of her friends in hospital. The story behind Brady and the car was worse than Edward believed.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered, hugging her. "I had no idea."

"I couldn't tell you…it's not my story to tell. Heck, I'm not _that_ close to Brady, but he was Jimmy's partner and he was always nice to me when he visited. He took that proverbial stick out my brother's ass."

Brady was an easy-going person and what with James being his patrolling partner, he ended up at their house often. Bella immediately liked him for allowing her to do things James had never allowed, like taking her on a stroll in the cruiser, put on the sirens for no apparent reason; Brady always brought her small presents, like candy and music and books, and he had a nice way to warn her about doing stupid things like skipping classes or dating the wrong guy, unlike her brother who had shouted at her the first time she skipped school. All in all, Brady was her best friend.

Edward stared at her, building the courage to tell her his own story, but when he opened his mouth, he didn't get much out. "I need to tell you something."

"When we get back, okay?" Bella cupped his cheek, smiling weakly. "We need to get to that store."

"Why are you doing this? Helping Jake? You know what he wants to do."

"I can't stop Jake, and I can't stop you from helping him. Just promise me you won't take part in any of this once that car is restored."

"I promise," he said solemnly.

The whole drive to St. George, Edward kept thinking of a way to tell Bella about his life in Chicago and the list of infractions he'd committed in his short life. He was distracted all the while they were in the store, and once he got what he needed, they were back in the car. He even tried to convince Bella to drive, but she shook her head.

They were halfway to Fredonia when Bella intertwined their fingers, giving him a small smile. His heart stuttered and he knew telling her anything about himself would have to wait. She'd hate him, and if he had any chance with her, he didn't want to blow it.

The two of them had grown closer ever since his football game, but neither of them had made the first step. It had been all about innocent looks and a brush of hand here and there, a lingering look, but nothing else.

Edward was sure that when they got home, his relationship with Bella would forever change. It all depended on him which way that would go.

They made a detour and left the car pieces at Jake's, Edward apologizing on not being able to stay, blaming their rush on hunger. It was true, he was starving, but he also wanted that conversation out of the way.

His plan went out the window when they were greeted by James, leaning against his cruiser, in front of the house. If looks could kill, Edward would have probably dropped dead.

"Go inside, B," James told her as calmly as possible, never taking his eyes off the culprit.

"What's wrong, Jimmy?" she asked, confused.

"Do as he says," Edward insisted. "I'll be there in a minute."

"If you make it," James grumbled. The second Bella was inside the house, he marched to Edward, backing him into the Ford's side. "Listen here, you little fuck, I'm sick of your lies. I knew you'd do something stupid, and when your GPS alerted me you left the state, I traced you. Guess where I found you? Nowhere near a trail in the Grand Canyon."

"Now you're tracking me? Am I some fucking criminal?"

"I'd have let it slide if I didn't know the store you've been in."

"I'm helping Jake with his car. What's the big deal? And before you ask, I went to buy the pieces because he can't tell a choke tube from a fork. Well, not really but you get it."

"The big deal is that you aren't allowed around powerful cars. I specifically told Bella not to let you drive. She didn't listen, obviously, but then I realized you driving wasn't that bad. You helping the Black kid rebuild that car—that's bad."

"James, I'm not going to drive the Mach One. I'm not an idiot."

"Aren't you? You've done only stupid things ever since you came to us. I told you, you can't change who you are."

Edward glared at the older man. "I'm doing my best to be nice and not do anything that I used to do. I've done a pretty damn good job at staying out of trouble so far, if I do say so myself."

James sighed heavily. "I can't wait for Christmas to have you out of my hair."

"Six more weeks of wait," Edward sneered at him.

"Watch out, kid. I've got my eyes on you." He got in his car. "Now go inside and stay out of trouble."

Scowling at the cop, Edward stormed inside. He really hated being under the police's watch. He couldn't communicate with his best friend, he couldn't leave the state, he even suspected he couldn't fart without the police knowing. Fucking assholes.

"What did he want?" Bella ambushed Edward from the moment he stepped inside the house. "Are we in trouble?"

" _We_ aren't in trouble. _I_ am, which isn't something new." He palmed his face. "Don't worry. We cleared it out. Let's go talk." Edward took her hand, leading the way to his room.

"You won't tell me what that was about?"

"No." He winked at her, throwing himself on the bed. "Come here." He opened his arms, inviting her to snuggle there. Bella immediately complied. She was so small and pliable, Edward cherished the moment while he was hugging her.

"You okay, Edward? Your heart is about to take off."

"Yeah. I just want to tell you something," he said nervously, peering down at her.

Bella rolled around so their chests were pressed together. "I already know." She smiled shyly, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"You do?" he choked out.

How was that possible? She couldn't know. Had James told her, when he specifically begged Edward not to say a word?

"Who told you?" he asked, sounding defeated. "And how can you still be around me?"

"Because I feel the same way?" Her voice rose as she spoke, and got angrier with every word.

His brows furrowed in the middle of his forehead. "You can't be…I mean…what I've done, Bella…"

She got sidetracked. "What have you done? Wait a second, what are you talking about?"

"About Chicago! Aren't we talking about that?" He lifted himself on his elbows.

This way their faces were closer than ever. He could feel her breath coming in short pants, washing over his face.

"I…Gah!" She giggled nervously. "I was talking about…never mind. It's clear you don't feel the same."

 _Shit. I'm an idiot._ Edward wanted to smack himself. He very nearly told her his deepest secret when the girl only wanted to clear the air and know if he liked her too. He did, very much so.

When Bella made to pull away, Edward knew if he didn't act in the next minute, he might screw all his chances with her. So he cupped a hand at the back of her neck, bringing her closer and touching her lips with his. It was slow, tentative at first, checking her eyes to make sure he had read her signals right. Bella sagged into him, wrapping her fingers in his hair, smashing her mouth to his. It was all the encouragement Edward needed. He rolled them around so he had Bella trapped under him as he kissed her furiously. This was the best first kiss he ever had.

They made out for hours, exploring the other's mouth and body until the sun lowered in the sky. As Edward lay on his back with one hand behind his hand and the other tracing circles on Bella's back as she lay on top of him, he wondered why it took them so long to get to this point. He had no idea why he restrained himself, and a small evil part of him nudged him, making him think of the freedom he'd get if he drove Jake's car.

"I think we should start dinner," Bella said thoughtfully, not moving a muscle.

"That's a good idea. I'm starving. Skipping meals is definitely not for a teenage boy."

She laughed, turning her head to look at him. "You can't say you didn't enjoy the way we spent the afternoon."

"I'm not complaining." Edward tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Though, the closer we get to your brother coming home, the more scared I get."

"He won't hurt you."

"How do you know that? What about any ex-boyfriends? Or maybe they're buried in the backyard and I haven't noticed."

Bella laughed heartedly, moving to lie next to him on the bed. "There haven't been any ex-boyfriends." She glanced at Edward, biting her bottom lip. "Uh, there's been…for a short while Jake. It didn't work."

 _I know_. "I could tell," he chose to answer.

She gave him a look but didn't comment on how he could tell they'd been together. "Want to help me make fries? It's easy enough."

"Bella," Edward said quietly, looking at her seriously. "I know how to cook. Like really well. My mom's an awesome cook and I've spent a lot of time around her."

"Why didn't you say so?" She groaned. "What do you know to cook?"

"Name something, anything."

"Macaroni and cheese. I love them, but ever since Mom… uh, yeah…I haven't had macaroni and cheese in too many years."

He sat up, before helping her out of the bed. "Do we have all we need?"

"I don't know what we need…"

"Come on. I'll teach you," he said eagerly, leading the way to the kitchen with a spring in his step.

They got immersed in cooking, and while the dish was in the oven, Edward suggested they should work on rice pudding.

James came home, ready to lash out on Edward, continuing what he had started earlier, but what he found in his kitchen stopped him in the tracks. The culprit was holding a spoon to his sister, and after blowing in it, she tasted the food held out for her. He noticed Edward's eyes trained on his sister's lips as she licked them, and was surprised how nonchalantly Edward brushed some remaining food off her chin.

Something had definitely happened in between noon and the evening. He cleared his throat getting the teenagers' attention.

"Jimmy, you're home!" Bella exclaimed, grinning at her brother. "You'd never believe!"

Edward looked nervously at James, making the cop narrow his eyes at him.

"We have a cook under our roof and had no idea!"

"You can't cook, B." James shook his head. "Which makes me question the nice smell in the kitchen."

"I didn't cook, _he_ did!" She pointed to Edward, glowing with happiness.

"Please… Where's the catch?" James raised an eyebrow.

"There's no catch, dude! Edward's an amazing cook! He made macaroni and cheese. I'm in love!" She squealed, but once her words registered to her ears, she looked panicked at Edward. He was busy laughing and trying to look humble.

James walked closer to inspect what was on the stove. "Rice pudding? Man! If it's as good as it looks, I'm absolving you of all sins."

"Promise?" Edward joked.

"No," James muttered, clapping the younger boy's back.

"Don't be an ass, Jimmy! Edward worked really hard. Go wash your hands and come eat with us." Once her brother was gone, she turned to Edward, but not meeting his eyes. "About earlier…it totally slipped. I swear it's not like that, though I see myself falling for you. Shit. This isn't coming out right. I'm not in love with you, per se…only the food you cook. For now. Make sense?"

"You're too adorable when you're nervous." Edward cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her. "I'm really happy I can do this. You have no idea how hard it's been for me to not grab you when you got all cute and kiss you and hug the shit out of you."

"Now you can do it. You're allowed to do anything you want."

"Don't tempt me. Not with your brother hovering around."

Bella smirked at him, linking her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. They had to pull away when Edward moaned in pain after being slapped on the back of his head.

"Stop molesting my little sister!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Even though the freshly formed couple was nervous around James, the latter didn't seem to notice. He was busy savoring the delicious food Edward had made. The boy had talent, and the macaroni and cheese was the best version of it he'd eaten since his mother's dish.

"It's delicious," he praised the young man. Having amazing cooking skills didn't absolve him of his bad deeds, but it gave him golden stars in James's book.

"Thanks," Edward mumbled, pushing down a few bites of food.

"So why the sudden change of heart of you deciding to grace us with your unknown cooking skills?"

Edward lifted one shoulder. "I couldn't let you guys know how awesome I am from the very beginning," he joked.

Bella giggled, staring at him with a drunken expression, while James rolled his eyes.

"Besides, we've never been really out of food like tonight," Edward added.

They continued eating, ignoring the pink elephant. James kept shooting the teenagers looks when they'd lock eyes and grin at each other, but of course they didn't pay him any mind. He tried to still his anger and remind himself that his sister dating the asshole was the best case scenario.

"Jimmy," Bella suddenly said in a small, almost whiney voice.

He braced himself for being let on their relationship status. He was still curious of when it happened. They hadn't been that close the day before.

"Yeah, baby sis?"

"You know it's Halloween tomorrow…" She shot him a big smile.

"I'm dreading it," he grumbled. "I'll have to patrol and keep the punks from stealing the kids' candy."

"Oh, that's just mean," Edward interjected.

"Yes, it is." Bella nodded quickly. "Look, I know you don't like Jake, but there's a party on the Reservation. It's not at his house or anything. Please?"

James contemplated about his answer. Maybe it was a good she was dating, after all. He knew that as stupid the boy was, he'd never let anything hurt his sister. In that aspect, he trusted Edward.

"But I don't want you to return after midnight. Twelve o'clock is your curfew." He gave them a pointed look.

"Am I allowed to go?" Bella exclaimed, bouncing in her seat.

"Only if he promises to keep an eye on you the whole night. There will be no drinking, smoking…or any other stupid thing," James warned them, keeping his eyes fixated on Edward as he said the last part.

"You got it, man. I promise to take care of Bella."

"I hope so. Midnight is the curfew. I'd know if you're a minute later."

Bella shot from her chair and launched herself at her big brother, hugging him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She washed his face with kisses, squeezing the air out of him with her arms around his neck.

"That's enough, B." He pushed her away gently.

"Can't I hug you? It's not every day when you're extra nice with me," she challenged him.

"Of course you can hug me, baby sis." He held her hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "You better take care of her or it's your ass on the line," he added toward Edward.

"Don't worry. We'll be back before midnight, and she'll be unscathed." Edward nodded, staring James in the eye as he talked.

"Good." James smiled big, glad someone was going to listen to him for once. "Now, about that rice pudding…"

Bella rushed to the stove and put pudding in three cups, bringing them to the table along with sour cherries jam. It had been Edward's suggestion. The combination turned out to be delicious and everyone had a second helping.

James sent the teenagers to their rooms, emphasizing on the plural of the word, telling them he'd wash the dishes before turning in himself.

By the time Bella was done in the shower, she knew her brother was already in his room, probably asleep. Changing in her pajamas and with her hair wrapped in a towel, she slipped in Edward's room. To her surprise, he was fast asleep.

The laptop was set on the chair next to the bed, ready for their movie, but it looked like he was too tired and sleep had won. They had woken up early for their trip to St. George, which explained why he was so tired.

Bella rolled the blanket over his lean body, pushing his crazy hair off his forehead before dropping a kiss there. She still couldn't believe the turn their relationship had taken. Even though she'd hoped one day he'd see her for more than his friend and housemate, she never actually expected Edward to like her back, like her enough to kiss her the way he had done. Heat flooded her veins as she remembered the toe-curling kisses they had shared mere hours before.

Letting out a happy sigh, she went to her room. It was the first night since Edward had come to live with them, they weren't watching a movie before bedtime. The routine was hard to break, but since she was still wide-awake, she curled on her bed with her English homework and started working on it. If they went to the party, there would be close to no time to finish the long-ass essay their teacher had told them to write.

In the morning, she woke up surrounded by textbooks, notebooks and her uncapped pen which had left lines on the white bed sheet. Looking out the window, she realized it was pretty late considering the sun was up in the sky.

Yawning and stretching, she went in search of the other inhabitants of the house. There was noise coming from the living room, and when Bella poked her head in, she found Edward sprawled on the couch. His head was resting on his shoulder, the remote control slipping from his hand as he was snoring loudly. She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand.

The sound got Edward's attention, making him jerk. He turned his head to the door and blinked.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed.

"Same goes with you," she said laughing. She walked closer, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Morning." He nuzzled her neck. "In my defense, I've been brutally woken up by my dad at seven. When he heard my voice, he burst out laughing saying he got the wrong number. I think it was on purpose—a Halloween prank."

"Aw, poor baby." Bella pinched his cheek.

"And I couldn't go back to sleep after that. I went to make coffee and when your brother stumbled in the kitchen half an hour later, in just boxers mind you—scaring me for life—he started laughing at my bed hair, wondering why I was awake so early."

"Your bed hair is sexy," she told him with a wink.

"He didn't think the same."

"Thank God for that."

They shared a laugh over that before Bella settled against his chest, looking at the TV, and a fresh round of laughter bubbled in her chest.

"You're watching cartoons?"

"It's the only decent thing so early in the morning."

"It's ten, Edward." Bella pointed to the clock on the wall. "Anyway, we need to finish our homework. I tried writing that English essay last night because when I was out of the shower you were out cold."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

She waved her hand around. "Come on. I want the school work out of the way."

They ate leftovers from the previous evening's macaroni and cheese while doing their homework. It went by faster when they teamed up and challenged each other who finished first. Bella won for English and Spanish, but she lost horribly when it came to Math. Edward was done by the time she got to the third exercise out of the ten they had. He offered to help, and the way he explained made more sense than what their teacher had told them.

When time to go approached, Edward wondered if a costume was mandatory because he didn't have anything. Bella shrugged, telling him to just put a jersey on him and he'd be okay. Edward chose to wear a simple white tee and his leather jacket along with jeans and his Chucks. If he got questioned, he'd say he was a rock star from the eighties. Bella was tuned to him, because when she met him in the hallway, she was wearing a short black dress paired with tennis shoes and a leather jacket.

"You better stay by my side the whole night," Edward growled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What, scared someone is going to steal me?"

"Yes," he said seriously, leaning down to kiss her. "I had no idea you possessed skirts."

"It's a dress."

"It's short."

"Your point?"

"It looks like a shirt."

"Edward. Are you my brother or boyfriend?"

Her eyes widened at her question and she flushed, but didn't try to correct her words.

"I'd like that. Only if you'd be my girlfriend?" he teased, trailing a finger over her collarbone.

She shivered, nodding. "Yes."

Grinning stupidly, Edward kissed her again, pressing her back against the wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands taking fists of his hair.

"We should go," he mumbled against her skin, but didn't move away.

"Fashionably late has never harmed anyone."

Hearing that, Edward kept his attack on his girlfriend, his mouth creating hickeys and his hands palming her ass. She didn't seem to mind either, but that was only because she was unaware of the hickeys.

Some time later, they managed to pull away long enough to go to the car where the second round of making-out took place. It was a little after six when they started driving to the Reservation.

Once they arrived, they had to hike for a short while to get to where the party was. There were blankets spread on the ground filled with snacks and drinks.

Seth was the first to notice their friends had arrived. "Look who's arrived!" he shouted, pointing to where Edward was helping Bella over a fallen tree trunk.

"Sorry for being late," Bella said, not sounding that sorry. "We got…held up."

Leah gave her a scrutinizing look. "What happened to your hair?"

Bella tried to flatten the mess Edward had created in her once combed hair. "I'm trying a new style." She had never liked Leah, but tolerated her because she was Sam's girl, and Sam was Jake's buddy since they were in nappies.

"How's it going?" Edward asked nonchalantly, snatching a beer from the blanket.

"What happened here? Did you get in trouble yesterday?" Jake asked, staring at the two of them.

"Nah." Edward clinked his bottle to Jake's, who was still not moving. "I think I won James over." He turned to wink at Bella, who dissolved in a fit of giggles.

"That explains why Bella's here," Paul commented from the spot he was leaning against his bike, arms crossed over his chest. "James never allows her around us."

"Because you're trouble," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Like you care." Paul pushed off his bike and went to clink his beer to Edward's. "Whatever you've done, kudos!"

Edward had made Bella swear not to tell their friends about him knowing how to cook. It was embarrassing.

"I'll keep doing it if it keeps him off my back," he said cheerfully. "I see it's not a costume kinda party. Good thing because I didn't have time to shop." He tried to lighten the mood and make Jake stop giving him and Bella odd looks.

"You two match. How sweet!" Leah fake-gushed.

It wasn't exactly a secret they started dating, but Bella had hoped they wouldn't have to tell the others just yet. Apparently they were acting off and drawing attention. She strode to Edward's side, slipping her hand in his.

"We can't have secrets with you," Bella grumbled, looking up at Edward.

He swallowed hard, glancing at their friends, setting his eyes on Jake. He was most afraid of his reaction, knowing he'd tried dating Bella and it didn't work. Hopefully, he wouldn't get jealous.

"It's really new, but we're together," he explained.

Seth fist pumped the air, making everyone look at him weird. He turned with a smug look to Paul, extending his hand. "We had bets. I won," he explained, without taking his eyes off Paul.

"Awww!" Bella moaned in mock protest. "You shouldn't be such nice friends, really."

Paul slapped a handful of crumpled bills in Seth's hand, who immediately started counting.

"That's sick," Edward groaned. "Who does this shit?"

"Apparently our so-called friends," Bella observed. "Anyone else has to say something about this?"

"About time," Sam said on a low voice, showing them a thumb up.

Jake gave Edward a half-armed hug, patting him on the back. "Don't hurt her, because I know where you live."

Edward choked up, but then realized it wasn't exactly a threat. "Don't worry." He hugged Bella to his side. "Hey, Seth!" he called to their friend who was still busy counting. "Can I ask something? Just curious."

Paul shook his head wildly, anticipating the question.

Seth, distracted, told him to go ahead. When Edward asked of the amount he won on their backs, his head shot up and he looked panicked. At everyone's prompting—besides Paul's—he admitted winning two hundred bucks.

"That's cool! You'll put them in Mach's box. This way I can buy the NOS Bottle Kit."

Edward's face drained of color. Jake was actually thinking of racing the car if he wanted to buy a tank of nitrous oxide. He felt Bella tensing next to him, and squeezed her closer.

"How cheap did you find it?" he asked casually. He'd spent over five hundred on his old one.

"Three hundred fifty. Awesome, huh?"

"It must work for the car, Jake."

"It said universal on the website."

Edward sighed in defeat. He wasn't going to win that argument. "Show it to me next time I come over?"

"Sure. It's almost ready to race!" Jake bragged.

"Dude if you want the nitro, you don't only need the bottle, you also need plates, nozzles, filters, heaters, brackets, plumbing, switches, purge valves… Fuck, it's expensive."

"How do you know all that?" Jake frowned, as everyone was gaping at him.

Edward looked panicked. He's talked without thinking again. "I…I've done some research on the Internet," he blurted out.

His friend seemed to buy his answer, and he breathed in relief. He wasn't ready to lose Bella, not when he finally got her. Edward was aware she'd break up with him and probably kick him in the nuts when she found out about his past, but he relied on making her see he'd changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Even though the days were still warm in the Arizona desert, the nights were getting colder. The dropping degrees moved the party to Jake's garage, which gave the others a first look at Mach One. Jake had kept the car's repairing progress a secret, not wanting to jinx it.

"Whoa, man!" Paul whistled, circling the car, admiring it from every angle.

It was still missing one seat, the hood and the engine was still out, but all in all it looked powerful and ready to win a real race. Edward was quite proud of his work. He hadn't invested this much time in repairing and upgrading a car in his life, not even when it came to his beloved Betty.

Sam was interested in some parts of the car, and Edward tried to answer as simply as he could, without making them look strange at him again. If he kept making mistakes, they'd figure out he knew more about cars and racing than them, which would get him in heaps of trouble.

After a while, Seth suggested they play something, and when the others started getting ideas on what they should play, he added quickly, "I was thinking about Charades. It used to be fun when we were little."

"Exactly, dude!" Jake groaned, rolling his eyes. "When we were five."

"It sounds cool," Bella admitted. "I haven't played that in ages. It's always fun."

Even Leah, who always scrunched her nose at every proposition for fun, accepted eagerly to do something to combat the boredom which had fallen over them.

Since Seth was the one to suggest they play that game, he was the first to mime in front of his friends. He thought it was an easy one—covering his head with his hands and turning away slightly. That should be easy to guess he was being an ostrich.

"You have a headache?" Paul wondered.

Seth shook his head.

"You're defending yourself from punches?" Jake butted it.

Seth shook his head.

"You're hiding," Bella said, sounding confused.

Seth nodded eagerly, gesturing for her to add more. She shrugged, blushing at the sudden attention.

"Wait, hiding?" Jake asked. "Some animal?"

Seth nodded, grinning.

"A rodent?" Jake tilted his head to the side, making Seth groan in defeat.

"Just tell us. We give up," Edward grumbled.

"Noo!" Jake hissed. "If we give up, he'll have to try again. We'll never guess anything he mimes."

To help his friends, Seth bent his elbows and started moving them as if he was a chicken. Obviously, all his friends thought he was one, which made him annoyed. He tried again, gesturing with his hands, showing them something round and big.

"You're…pregnant?" Jake laughed.

Seth grinned, showing Jake through gestures that he was close to the truth.

"An egg?" Edward frowned. It made Seth jump up and down, showing his thumb ups. "Ah, I know! That bird…. Uh, the name escapes me."

"Ostrich?" Bella asked tentatively.

"YES! At last!" Seth groaned. "You lot are no fun."

"I promise to go easy on you," Bella told them, taking Seth's place.

It didn't take long for the others to guess her word—bunny, especially when she crouched and started hopping around with her hands at her temples.

Though, the game didn't last after that, everyone complaining of how boring it had become. They chose to sit around the garage, eat candy and simply talk about different subjects—from taking over the world, to life on another planet and even plans on what to do after high school.

When Bella checked her phone, she shrieked that James would forever ground her. It was ten minutes to midnight. They'd never make it back before curfew.

"We can do it, if you allow me to drive that car like she hasn't been driven in a long time." Edward winked her, but he was worried of her response.

"Anything to be on Jimmy's good side."

They said goodbye quickly to the others and jumped in the car. She only had time to fasten her seatbelt when Edward spun the car around, screeching the tires, before shooting forward.

"Huh. Decent performance. Six seconds to get from zero to sixty. Could have been worse," Edward commented.

"Can you simply concentrate on driving?" Bella whimpered. "It's dark and you're driving like a maniac!"

He glanced at her, grinning.

Her eyes winded and she immediately pushed his face around so he was looking out the windshield once again. "Edward, please. Don't kill us."

He scoffed. "Have some faith. You're speaking to Speedy." He pointed to himself, then froze. _Shit. I've done it again._

"Okay, Speedy Gonzales." Bella giggled, not understanding the true meaning of his words.

Edward drove at nearly one hundred miles per hour which brought them home in nine minutes. He parked near the sidewalk, screeching the tires loudly.

Bella didn't make a move to get out of the car, and Edward thought she expected him to open her door now that they were officially dating. He didn't mind. Rounding the car, he opened the passenger's door and extended his hand.

"My lady?"

"I don't think I can walk. My legs are shaking so badly."

"I brought us back on time, now we're going to be grounded because you won't get out of the car." He leaned inside the car, helping her out. "Come on, Bella."

She sagged into his side, her legs trembling, just like her whole body.

"This is probably adrenaline rush."

"Edward, how can you act so cool? You broke at least three traffic laws?" Even her voice shook.

Before he could answer, they saw a pair of headlights approaching.

"Seriously?" Edward muttered, holding Bella against his side. "I thought he was joking on coming to check on us."

"Jimmy never jokes when it comes to me."

"Hello, kids. I see you're back." James waved to them from his spot next to the cruiser. If he'd cut the headlights off, he wouldn't have seen the tire marks in the asphalt. "In a hurry to get here?" His eyes found Edward's.

"Well, we did promise to be here before midnight."

"I see. Did you speed?"

"James!" Bella gasped, scandalized. "You know I hate speeding. I wouldn't have allowed him."

"Right. Yeah."

James looked intimidating on a daily basis, but wearing his cop uniform and giving Edward that look, made the teenage boy wish he'd decreased the speed earlier, before parking like that. He knew James had ways to know how fast he'd driven, and it scared him.

The young ones went inside, while James went back to patrolling.

"You think he knows?" Bella wondered.

"I hope not, or he'll kill me."

"Great. Well, I'm going to bed." She yawned loudly, opening her room's door.

"No so fast, missy." Edward wrapped his hand around her wrist, turning her around. He towered over her small frame, grinning from ear to ear. "Good night, Bella." He leaned down, kissing her softly. Then he turned around and went into his room.

Bella stood rooted in the hallway, her fingers on her lips, swooning. She was sure Edward had no idea what he was doing to her. Finding her senses, she went to bed as well.

With Halloween behind them, the weeks leading to Christmas seemed to pass faster. Edward surprised everyone with his good grades, making Jake jokingly threaten him with being kicked out of their group. Jake and Paul had the worst grades from their gang, and while Edward was at the garage he put his friends to work—while he was getting closer to finishing the car, they had to raise their grades. It became a challenge of sorts, but the tests before the break showed Edward's efforts weren't in vain.

By the time Thanksgiving rolled by, Mach One was ready to be taken for a ride. Edward and Jake drove around for a while, until Jake took a turn for the highway.

"I should be back before dinner," Edward told him, panic bubbling in his chest. If his friend was about to do what he thought, and they got caught, he feared the consequences.

"I just want to see what this baby can do," Jake said eagerly.

"You'll see that after you drop me back home. Please, Jake."

"Sheesh. James doesn't bite of what I heard."

"Still, better be vigilant and not get on his bad side."

Caving to his friend's insistences, Jake drove toward the Swan residence. It must have been Edward's bad day because James was just pulling in the driveway when Jake stopped behind him. He even honked loudly, calling the cop's name out the window and waving.

"Do you have a death wish?" Edward hissed, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut.

James walked closer to them, looking appreciatively at the car. They had painted it a burgundy red. "Not bad, boys. Not bad at all." He nodded with a smirk.

Jake patted the door with his hand hanging out the open window. "Awesome, isn't she? Edward's an amazing mechanic."

"He is, isn't he?" James said amused, glancing at the boy in question. "Any addition installed?" he added, walking closer and leaning to look inside the car.

"Nope." Jake shook his head, checking inconspicuously with his hand if the jacket was covering the nitro tank. "See? Nothing out of order."

"Hmm." James checked for any additional button or anything to give away any sort of modification for the car, modification to help with racing. He found none, which pleased him. Edward had listened to him. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" Maybe this Jake kid wasn't that bad, and he had a preconceived image about him.

"Nah, Dad's waiting for me. He demands we spend some quality time together…like I'm the one staying after hours at work."

"Well, he's the head of your community there, kid. He's busy. Another time, maybe?" James insisted.

"I'll hold you to that." Jake pushed jokingly at James's hand to have him out of his car. "Bye, man!" He waved to Edward, before revving the engine, spinning the car around and flying away.

"You didn't teach him that by any chance?" James scowled at Edward.

"Not every bad thing others do, means they learned it from me."

"I still think you're a bad influence on Bella."

"I didn't give her the smoke, for the last time! And no, I won't tell you who did it, but for the last time, I tried to stop her. Swear to God."

"Fine, fine. Come along, now." James walked ahead. Edward trailed after him, calling the older man many bad names in his head.

James was speaking of an unfortunate event which happened a couple weeks back when he found Bella in his room with a cigarette. He'd tried to stop her, but eventually caved at her huge, pleading brown eyes. It had gotten him in trouble, too.

Once inside, they found Bella in the kitchen doorway holding a dishtowel, rocking on the heels of her feet, looking troubled.

"What's up, baby sis?"

She didn't look at him, but at Edward. There were tears in her eyes. "Don't hate me, Edward. I think I ruined the pasta dish you made earlier."

"Don't worry. We can salvage it."

"No, we can't. I burnt it."

"How is that possible?" Edward frowned, peeking inside the kitchen. The sprinkles had been on judging by the water everywhere.

"I tried to heat it up but…something happened."

"Isabella," James said in a serious voice, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You're forbidden to step in the kitchen while unsupervised."

"I'm not a child!"

"What exactly happened?" Edward asked, hoping to steer them away from a fight. Both Bella and James were hotheads and it was rare when one of them gave up during a confrontation.

"What do you think?" Bella huffed, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You don't answer a question with another question, Bella. Just answer the boy." James tapped his foot to the floor.

"As I said, I wanted to heat it up…but it started smoking after a while." She explained with a shrug.

"Did you stir it while it was on the stove?"

"No."

"Or, add some water?"

"No."

"That explains it," Edward mumbled. "Oh, well. Do you guys feel like pizza? I'm sure it's still open at Carly's."

"Don't we have leftovers from the turkey? I'll make sandwiches. You two go." James pointed to the door. "Watch TV or something."

As the young ones left the kitchen, James set to work on their dinner.

"I'm so sorry, Edward," Bella whispered, liking their fingers. "Forgive me?"

He turned to her, cupping her cheek. "I'm not upset. It happens." He leaned closer, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. "But maybe your brother is right—you should stay away from the kitchen when you're alone. Or just use the microwave oven like everybody else."

She pouted, giving him the puppy dog eyes. He pursed his lips, but held her closer and kissed her softly.

"I can see you!" James called out. "Why do you think I said watch TV? I wouldn't be able to see through the wall you molesting my sister!"

Edward chuckled, pulling Bella after him to the couch. He fell on it with Bella on his lap, and once they got comfortable they went back to making-out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Only a few days later, James came home to find his sister and her boyfriend fighting over something. They could be heard from outside the house.

Bella was screaming of how bad was what he'd done and he was yelling back that he had no choice.

James dreaded to know what actually happened. He feared the boy might have done something totally stupid, which could have outed him as the law-breaker he was.

"What's going on in here?" James asked loudly, slowly unbuckling his gun belt.

Bella's head snapped to her brother, before she turned back to glaring at Edward. "You tell him. Go on."

Edward's whole face was red. "I couldn't have known. He came at you like that. I'm sorry. No, actually, I'm not."

"Did you bust someone's face because he got close to Bella?" James inquired. It wasn't as bad as he originally thought. "That's a good thing, B. He protected you. Who was the fucker?"

Bella groaned in frustration, throwing her arms in the air. "It was Collin! He was waiting on the front step on the house when we got back from school. _Collin_ , James!" She hissed, shaking her fist at her brother. "And he rushed to me, hugging and kissing me….you know how Collin is. What does this idiot do?" She pointed to Edward. "He separates us and punches him so hard, poor guy's head flies back, and after he pushed him with his foot, Collin fell down. I stopped Edward before he could kill him."

"Collin's here? Why?" James asked faintly. "Something happened to Brady?"

"If you'd pick your phone you'd know!" Bella shouted. "Vicky's been trying to reach you for a week."

"You know my mobile phone works whenever it wants…and the reception here isn't that great. Why didn't she try the landline, like usual?"

"Because apparently you forgot to pay the bill, idiot! Brady is awake! And…Collin…what we didn't want to happen…he knows. And he's devastated because…" Bella lost her power and simply fell forward in her brother's arms. "He doesn't remember much," she breathed out, starting to sob.

As James rubbed her back, he caught Edward's eye above her head. "Where's Collin?" He raised an eyebrow.

"In my room. After I allowed him to talk and he told us what happened…he kinda collapsed. I helped him to my room. I think he's sleeping."

"Don't worry, kid. I don't blame you for attacking him. I'd have done the same if some random dude I didn't know would have charged at my girl." James steered his sister to the living room, sitting her on the couch.

Edward felt out of place. The Swans' family problems had caught up with them, and he really didn't want to be there. He knew the drama around Brady would grow out of proportions.

There was one thing Edward had learned from their story, racing could destroy lives—not just the driver's life, but the ones around him, too. Somehow, even though he understood it completely, he couldn't imagine living without racing. Cars were everything to him, and in the past four months he'd been trying very hard not to give in to the temptation, really give in. But with Mach One done and ready to race, and knowing Jake had no idea how to actually race a car… Edward knew he'd do something stupid soon. Not even the thought of a life behind bars was scaring him.

A hand on his shoulder, startled him out of his dark thoughts. "Kid, stay with her. I need to check on Collin and see if we need to go to Phoenix." Edward had never heard James speaking so seriously and with such concern in his voice. "Oh, and you should apologize for hurting him."

"I did. I apologized to Collin."

"To Bella." James winked. "Go."

Swallowing his nerves, Edward approached his girlfriend. After shouting at her for the better part of the past hour, he realized what an asshole he was. He shouldn't have shouted at her. It had been his fault—his quick temper had gotten him in trouble.

He stood, towering over her hunched body on the couch, staring down at her. Bella lifted her head some minutes later, gazing at him with wet, brown eyes.

"Sorry," they said at the same time, cracking a smile.

"No, really. It's me," she insisted softly. "I'm easily irritated these days." Her cheeks flamed and Edward couldn't figure out why.

If he didn't understand, she wasn't going to explain her silly womanly problems to him.

"It's okay," he mumbled, crouching to be at the same level as her. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, before letting his hand fall, catching a curl of her hair and tugging at it. "I guess that was our first fight."

Bella smiled and nodded, chewing on her lip.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't know. We acknowledged the mistake, apologized…now we get to…" She threw him shy look, her cheeks growing hotter.

"We make out like the teenagers we are." He laughed, tugging her down and kissing her deeply. She lost her balance and fell on top of him, smacking their foreheads together. Chuckling, Edward didn't make a move to get up. He even laid back on the carpet, keeping Bella straddling his legs, his hands on her ass. She was too embarrassed to protest, and it wasn't like she didn't like it there.

By nightfall, James had left along with Collin. Edward had strict instruction on taking care of Bella and not allowing her to do anything stupid, but also reminding him not to do anything stupid himself.

Finding themselves alone, Edward took advantage of this sudden freedom and invited Bella to his room for their movie night. He found the most boring movie he possessed and started it, but he shouldn't have worried. When Bella arrived into his room, she was wearing one of his shirts—it reached her mid-thighs and one of the many holes showed part of her chest. Edward noticed immediately that she wasn't wearing a bra, or any pants for that matter. Only his over washed red holey shirt and panties.

"Hi," she whispered shyly, leaning against the doorframe.

Edward swallowed convulsively, sitting up so fast he nearly toppled the chair with the laptop. "Bella!" His eyes were trained on her bare legs.

As she walked closer, his cock twitched in his pajama pants. Of one thing Edward was sure, in the next few hours he'd get Bella naked. If anything happened, it remained to be seen, but he had to see more of her.

"Oh, you wanted to watch a movie?" she asked, looking at the laptop.

"Nope. I mean, if you want…"

Bella shook her head, reaching a hand up and touching his face. Slowly, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed their lips together. His unshaved cheek scratched her, but she didn't seem to care. The way his lips felt underneath hers felt divine. She could kiss him forever and not get tired.

His fingers knotted in her hair, keeping her head still as he kissed her thoroughly making her lose her breath. Bella moved a tentative hands lower, touching his naked chest. They both sucked in a breath the contact, his stomach muscles contracting under her fingers. Taking her lead, Edward traced the shape of her breast with his index finger, watching mesmerized as her nipple tightened under the shirt.

He groaned at the sight in front of him, and after a glance at her face, he lifted the red shirt over her head, exposing her naked flesh. The cold air and excitement of what was to come made Bella tremble.

"Cold?" Edward murmured, bringing her closer, their chests touching.

"A little."

He frowned, not wanting her to be cold. After a bit of thinking, Edward pushed the blanket aside and laid Bella on his bed, covering her with his body before tugging her blanket over them. She smiled, hooking one of her legs over his thighs as one hands was tracing the lines on his back.

"I… uh, I don't think…" Bella stuttered as Edward started kissing down her neck.

"Hmm?"

"Look at me, Edward."

Unwillingly, he pulled away from her breast. "What is it?"

"I don't think I'm ready to…you know…go all the way?" Her whole face was burning and her eyes were closed.

"I'm not pushing you into what you don't want."

"I want to!" Bella said hotly, opening her eyes. "Just…not today."

"Not today." Edward nodded. "Okay. We can stop when you want."

Smiling, Bella sighed in relief. "I guess…it's the unknown scaring me. Because I really like you, and want that."

Edward snorted. "You can't even say what you want. I get it, though. When you'll be ready, just know I'm here and…yeah."

She giggled, moving the hand on his lower back, playing with the elastic band of his boxers. "I kinda ruined the mood, huh?"

He thrust into her hip, showing her the mood wasn't ruined at all. His move wasn't received as he expected. Bella froze, and started chewing on her lower lip.

"That…is one thing that worries me," she said in a small voice.

"It should." He laughed, but sobered immediately when he saw her wide, terrified eyes. "No. I didn't mean it like that." Edward wanted to smack himself. He shouldn't joke about sex with innocent Bella. He sat up on his knees, straddling her thighs. "If you want, I can show you. There's nothing to be worried about."

Her eyes widened further, and she shook her head wildly.

"Seriously?" He laughed. "My dick scares you?"

Bella covered her face with her hands.

Edward wanted to show her there was nothing to be afraid of, and had no idea how to do it without scaring her. He lowered once more, covering her body with his own.

Bella could feel his hardness pressing against her tummy. Fear of the unknown gripped her body.

"Edward…"

"It's okay. I only want to show you there's nothing to be afraid of." He smiled down at her.

"But… I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"Bella, I want to make you feel like no one has ever made you feel," he stated, before proceeding to kiss along her neck and down to her collarbone. "Has anyone kissed you like this before?" Edward demanded.

"No." Bella's voice shook.

"Or like this?" He peppered kisses on her stomach making her muscles clench under his touch.

"No."

"Anyone kissed you here?" Edward pressed his lips to the center of her palm.

"No." She offered him a small smile.

He kissed the tips of her fingers, raising an eyebrow at her. She shook her head.

"Idiots," he murmured.

"There has been only Jake," Bella told him. "And he never…"

"He _is_ an idiot. You deserve to be cherished, Bella. Heck, I _am_ an idiot, too. I never took the time to simply look at a girl, or think of her needs. You made me see this."

"See what, exactly?" Bella frowned.

"See what a fool I was. You changed me so much."

"Show me more," Bella begged.

Edward covered her body with his once again. He took her face in his hands, staring deeply into her eyes before he jerked his hips forward. She gasped, he smirked and did it again. Bella had never felt that way. The faster he moved, the tighter her muscles wound. Edward seemed to go faster and faster until a loud moan escaped Bella, just as she went slack.

She was mortified at the sounds that had left her mouth, but more embarrassed at the wetness between her legs, ruining her panties. She could feel it pooling into her favorite pair of panties. Edward hadn't ceased moving, and she was extra sensitive. Just when she felt another wave of heat taking over her body, he groaned and pressed his hardness against her swollen clit.

"Wow." Bella breathed out.

"Wow, indeed. I haven't come in my underwear since I was like…twelve. Fuck, Bella."

"Sorry?"

"No," Edward said authoritatively. "Don't be sorry. It's the best I felt in…too long. Probably ever." He wasn't lying. He'd never felt that kind of pleasure before. It consumed his body.

After Bella put his red shirt on her once more, they cuddled under the blanket.

It was the best night sleep they had in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

A week before Christmas, James still wasn't back but he told the kids to start the preparations. He was going to return as soon as he was sure Brady and Collin were alright.

Edward suggested they go tree shopping first. They walked amongst the rows of trees for so long their toes froze. At last, Bella decided on a tree. It was a little difficult to tie it to her Ford, but Edward managed.

At home, Bella brought the Christmas decorations from the garage. They started with the outside of the house. Edward didn't comment on the old house and the paint peeling off. Somehow, the lights made it look better. He'd never done this at home, thus he almost broke his neck on the ladder.

Going back inside where was warm, neither of them had any energy left for the tree. On common agreement they decided to decorate it the next day.

For the rest of the week, they kept busy. Bella tried to bake cookies, with Edward's help, of course. They decorated the tree and even went shopping for presents. Edward was used to find out his present on Christmas morning. It had always been a surprise, so obviously when Bella asked him if he liked a sweater and he nodded, only to be told at home that was his gift, he exploded. After a few hurtful words thrown at his girlfriend, Edward locked himself in his room. Bella moped around, feeling awful for ruining his holiday. She had never cared much for exchanging gifts. James had told her Santa wasn't real when she was seven, and she loved finding out what she got before going to bed on the Eve.

It wasn't even the Eve and she realized what a bitch she had been. Bella promised herself to apologize to Edward first thing in the morning.

Edward woke up to his phone ringing loudly.

"What?" he slurred out, yawning.

"Morning! Are you home?" It was a voice he knew too well. But what the heck did Rose want?

"Yeah. You woke me up... Why?" He was confused.

"Well hurry up and open the door. It's freezing. It's like they sent you to Alaska, not Arizona."

"You're here?"

"Yes, you dumb ass! I'm freezing my tits off!"

"Don't scream."

Still unsure if he was dreaming or not, Edward went to the front door. His eyes widened when he found Rosalie on the front step. Like usual, she was wrapped in her furry white coat and black leather boots. She probably had some pants on, Edward didn't know from the length of her coat.

"Hallelujah!" She exclaimed and pushed in past Edward. Rose peeled off her gloves, looking around and scrunching her nose. "Interesting."

"What the heck are you doing here?"

"Missed you too, Edward."

"No, seriously. I have plane tickets for Sunday."

"Change of plans." She grinned at him. After searching through her oversized bag, she produced a plane ticket for next morning on his name.

"NO." Edward didn't want to go home just yet. He'd had a fight with his girl, and besides he wasn't ready to leave. He loved this place.

"Don't be silly. Everyone misses you!"

"If you don't tell me the real reason you want me back earlier... _in the next three seconds_ , I'm going to kick you out," Edward threatened her.

"Sheesh. Still hotheaded. Fine. This is the reason." Rose showed him her left hand. On her ring finger lay a huge pink rock.

Edward looked into her large blue eyes and gulped. "Married? In three days?"

"Not exactly," she whispered. At Edward's raised eyebrow, Rose burst into a complicated explanation about her visa expiring and her not being able to get a new one for God knows how long, her being pregnant and this being pressing and urgent. "So you see why we need to get married?"

Whatever Edward wanted to reply was lost to a loud sob coming from down the hall. When he raised his eyes, he saw Bella staring at him with huge, wet brown eyes. It wasn't difficult for him to realize she misunderstood the whole situation.

"For the lack of another explanation and hoping not to sound too cliché...This isn't what it looks like."

"I get it. She's your pregnant girlfriend...and you're getting married," Bella spat out.

"No, Bella. This is Rosalie, my cousin's girl— _fiancée_." He turned toward Rose. "This is Bella, my girlfriend. I hope she still is." Edward smiled tentatively at Bella.

"Oh, you silly boy!" Bella threw herself at him. "I'm sorry for last night...and for now."

"It's okay. I like the sweater."

"As touching as this is, you have a bag to pack." Rose gave her soon to be family member a superior look. She didn't even acknowledge Bella. It was as if she didn't exist.

Edward still couldn't believe his cousin hadn't told him of his intention to marry Rosalie. It wasn't like Edward didn't like her, but she could be a real bitch sometimes. She acted as if she was high and mighty, forgetting that only five years ago she was no one. She had been some girl from Canada coming to study in Chicago, and who got attacked one night by a group of drunken men. Thankfully Emmett had been patrolling and he rescued her. The rest was history—Rosalie kept coming to the police station until Emmett took her out for coffee and eventually they grew closer. It wasn't a surprise for anyone that when she graduated she didn't return to her motherland, but installed herself in Emmett's house. That was one thing that didn't sit well with Edward. Emmett had promised him they'd be roommates one day—two bachelors against the world, but Rosalie came along and Edward was soon forgotten.

"Why didn't Emmett come to get me? I hear pregnant women aren't allowed to fly," he retorted, grasping on anything to stay longer in Fredonia.

"He's busy. I'm allowed to fly, of course. I even got cleared by my doctor." Rosalie flicked her long blond hair over her shoulder. "I thought I'd have to restrain you from running through the door when I told you about returning earlier, and here you are wanting to stay longer." She took her coat off, handing it to Bella.

Bella stared at the other woman as if she had lost her mind, not making any attempt to take the coat.

Edward snatched the coat and hung it on the coat rack, situated next to his cousin's fiancée. "Bella's not your maid!"

"I'd love to hear all about how you fell for this country girl, but we're on a tight schedule."

Edward felt his blood draining from his face. He had tried not naming the feelings he had for Bella, but then Rose came along and ruined everything with her big mouth. "You said we're leaving tomorrow. Maybe you should find a motel or something."

"So, I'm not welcomed here?"

"You can stay," Bella told her on a small voice. "Edward can sleep in Jimmy's room."

"See? It wasn't that hard. Where is the bathroom? I need to freshen up." Rosalie looked around.

"Out in the backyard," Edward lied, keeping his poker face on.

"WHAT?" Rose shrieked.

"It was totally worth it," he whispered, leaning closer to Bella who was giggling in her palm.

"Asshole!" Rose glared at him, shaking her finger.

Bella explained where the bathroom was, and once she was left alone with Edward she burst out laughing, tears springing in her eyes.

"Lovely family, Edward," she choked out.

"She's not such a bitch usually. Not so much." He lifted one shoulder. "Anyway…I'm really sorry I'll have to leave you alone." He cupped her cheek, sobering up.

"Let me call Jimmy and see if he can come back sooner, or if I am allowed alone."

"It's not like there's another option."

"Maybe there is…" Bella looked at him, biting her lip. When he didn't react, she sighed heavily. "If you want…and if it's okay with you and your family…maybe… No. That's stupid."

"You want to come to Chicago?" Edward stared at her dumbfounded. "You hate big cities."

"I'm going to have to come over eventually for second semester."

He smirked, kissing her softly. "A little too soon for meeting my parents?"

"You know my brother."

"It's not the same, but I'm not saying no. Call James, I'll call Dad."

After their respective phone calls, it was settled. Bella was headed to Chicago to spend Christmas with Edward's family, because James was taking Brady to Collin's house. Collin now lived in Tucson, and it would take some time for both of them to get used to what they had. Brady's memory was slowly returning, because he remembered Collin and James, and the series of events that led to his accident, but as the doctor had said, it would be a slow process to his full recovery.

When Edward announced Rosalie they needed a new ticket for Bella, she started protesting, but once she allowed them to explain in a few words the situation, she realized she'd been mean for no apparent reason. From that moment on, Rosalie decided to give Bella the benefit of the doubt and see what kind of person she was.

Edward spent most of the day in his room packing, with Rose on his bed telling him about home and what he'd missed. She kept exclaiming how happy she was to see the change in him, and how pleased Emmett would be to see his little cousin so grown up.

Around noon, Bella offered to go buy pizza, and also drop by Jake's and let him know of their plans. Edward's stomach rolled at the mention of Jake. At least, he wouldn't be around when the idiot would participate in the race.

When Bella returned with the pizza, Edward offered to help her in the kitchen, mostly to find out if Jake had mentioned the race to her. He hadn't because she kept rambling about Jake possibly being in love with his new car and even sleeping in it. Edward wasn't sure if it was true, but he didn't comment.

Bella kept talking about Jake, Carly, plans on what to take with her as she plated the pizza. It didn't take long for Edward to figure out she was freaking about their upcoming trip.

"Stop. Stop. Stop." He placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Breathe, Bella."

She caught her lip in her between her teeth, worrying it as she stared at him worried.

"I get it, you're scared."

"You can tell?" Bella let out a nervous laugh.

"No, I'm a mind-reader." He rolled his eyes. "Look, I promise to hold your hand…or whatever you want. It won't be that bad, you'll see."

"I never flew! And what was in my mind when I said I wanted to meet your family? They'll hate me! I'm some country girl as Rosalie said."

"Don't say that. You changed my preconceived idea on small towns from the first hour I spent in this place. Besides, my parents aren't…snobs."

"I heard that!" Rose huffed from the kitchen's doorway.

"Am I wrong?" Edward challenged.

"Sometimes." She shrugged modestly. "Don't take it personally, little girl," she told Bella.

Edward braced himself for Bella's lash out. He knew she hated to be called "little girl", and was shocked when he didn't hear her hissing reply. One glance at his girlfriend showed him her clenched fist and jaw set firm, red face, but no words coming out her mouth.

 _Is she afraid of Rose?_ He thought idly.

"She's not a little girl. Rose, I don't know what crawled up your ass and died, but leave Bella alone. And leave me alone, for that matter. Just go back to my room. Take a plate of pizza and go."

"If you're not too afraid to get fat," Bella mumbled, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Edward was proud of her. She shouldn't be afraid of anyone, especially Rose.

"I thought we were friends, Edward," Rosalie muttered.

"Not when you act like this. Go, before I do something I'll regret," he demanded, pushing a plate in her hands.

Once the blonde woman was gone, he turned to Bella. "I'm sorry about her. She's really not this bad. She was like this in the beginning, and I think she's doing it to you because she doesn't know you. I don't understand why she has to act superior."

"You're practically family to her, Edward. I guess she's trying to…protect you? Small town girls usually are after money, you know? Girls like me don't make it out unless they're cunning and, or whores. I'm neither, so I'll be stuck in here."

"Thank God for that. Not being stuck here, the other part." He grinned at her. "Show her you're different. Show her what a wonderful person you are."

"I will, or die trying," Bella joked.

Edward smirked, kissing her on the forehead. "Besides, she doesn't have any reason to act like a guardian. My parents would never act like this. You'll see."

Bella wasn't sure about his parents, but he always spoke nice of them and they didn't seem like bad people. She'd have to wait and see what their impression of her was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

_I'm on my way home! Early._ Edward sent the text message to his friend Jasper.

Edward, Bella and Rose were on the plane, waiting to take off from Flagstaff. Bella sat next to her boyfriend, wrapped around his right arm, shaking. No matter how much he'd told her everything was going to be okay, the concept of flying still scared her. Rosalie didn't even try to come to his aid, simply rolling her eyes and scoffing at the silly girl's worry.

It was the concept of something new, something unknown that scared Bella—the change always put her off.

Edward's phone buzzed with an incoming message, making Bella startle at the vibration against her hip. He chuckled, patting her knee before taking the phone out. He couldn't wait to get home and beg his parents to buy him a replica of his old one.

 _Want me to pick you up?_ Jasper had answered.

_Nah. I'm taking off now. I'm with Rose…and the exchange student. ;)_

_Cool, man. See ya!_

"Tell me about your friend," Bella mumbled, watching as Edward turned off his phone.

Knowing she not only wanted to know about his friend and life in Chicago—something he tried to avoid as much as possible—Edward knew that Bella needed the distraction. During the flight, he told her in a few words about Jasper and Alice, mostly speaking of their characters and avoiding exactly what they did. Edward did tell her Jasper worked in a garage, but not about his extra-curricular activities. He told her about Alice and about her dream to open a tattoo parlor when she was legal.

When they landed in Chicago, Rose led the way out the airport after gathering their bags. Bella stared amazed at her surroundings. The airport was huge. She was sure half her town would fit in there, maybe even all of it.

Edward kept a strong hold of her hand as he trudged after Rosalie. Bella could tell his behavior had changed somehow. He was on guard, looking everywhere as if afraid of something. He suddenly stopped, nearly causing Bella to collide with Rose who had stopped as well. In front of them was a massive man. He reminded Bella of a bear she'd seen when she was younger.

"Emmett!" Rosalie flung herself at the man.

 _Oh, that's Edward's cousin_ , Bella mused. She glanced at Edward, but he had his poker face on.

"Rosebud, I send you after one and you bring two." Emmett laughed.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, smacking Bella in the face with it. "That's his girlfriend. I know, what a joke!"

Edward ground his teeth, stomping his foot to the floor. "Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything!"

"Hey, easy there, man. Nice to see you." Emmett walked around his fiancée and gave his cousin a bro hug. He turned to Bella, who cowered into Edward's side. He kept her close, glaring at his cousin. "Nice to meet you, Edward's girlfriend."

"Bella. Her name is Bella and if I hear you stoop to your girlfriend's idiotic behavior I swear to God…" Edward threatened Emmett.

"Chill, man." Emmett was taken aback by his cousin hostile behavior. _The kid must have it bad_ , he thought to himself. "Come along. Your parents are waiting."

"What's up with you?" Bella whispered as they walked behind the lovebirds.

"I told you, I understand why Rose is acting like this, but if he starts it as well, it's war. I won't sit back and have my own family say shit about you."

Bella's heart took off at the sweet gesture. She knew Edward didn't realize why he felt so protective toward her, and she hoped she read him right. He was surely developing stronger feelings for her. It thrilled her, yet it scared her at the same time—giving herself so fully to someone, baring your heart and soul was big.

"Holy shit, Em! You washed your car!" Edward exclaimed when they reached the parking lot.

"I took it to the car wash before leaving," Rose said over her shoulder, winking.

"Oh." Edward laughed. "Seriously, man. Cars are like—"

"I'm not in love with my car like you," Emmett grumbled, opening the trunk.

It was a SUV, but Bella wasn't sure what type since she didn't catch the logo. It was quite big and black.

"Yeah, so? I love Betty. Big deal."

"You don't want your girl here to become jealous," Rose commented.

"Of an inanimate object?" Bella asked amused. She failed to see the horrified look on Edward's face, being busy climbing inside.

Emmett clapped his cousin on the back. "Wait one moment." He waited until his fiancée climbed in after Bella, closing the door. Placing a hand on his little cousin's shoulder, Emmett cleared his throat. "You been good, kid?"

"Emmett…" Edward glanced toward the car. "She doesn't know, if that's what worries you."

"What about the car you've been repairing?"

"What about it? Jake will compete. I'll be here. I'm clean."

"Cous, if the judge hears about that…"

"Emmett, I didn't race! Can't we just…forget about this? Look, you're getting married—and I can't believe you didn't tell me—and it's Christmas…soon."

"Forget about it, Edward? Kiddo, it's your life we're talking about. I didn't send you to Arizona to wet your dick in the exchange student. You're there so you won't be in juvenile detention! Edward, wake up!"

"I didn't! Bella's different." Edward glared at his cousin.

"This isn't over. We need to talk. But tomorrow's my wedding as you said. I hope you'll be my best man." Emmett grinned, slapping Edward's cheek jokingly.

"I'll kill you if you choose someone else."

"Want to add homicide to your long list of felonies?"

Rolling his eyes, Edward stepped into the car, in the passenger seat. He turned toward the back and was surprised to find Bella passed out against the right door. Rose pressed her finger to her lips.

"She is tired," she whispered, as Emmett got behind the wheel. "Baby, no music. The girl's sleeping."

Emmett nodded, before starting the car. "Seatbelt, cous."

Scoffing, Edward did as told, his eyes on the rear-view mirror on his girlfriend. Every time he looked at her, a warmness engulfed him and for a few seconds everything seemed to be right in the world. He was like any boy his age, with no dark cloud looming above his head threatening to ruin his life.

During the drive to his house, memories assaulted him at every corner. He remembered good and bad things—from trips to the park as a child, to hanging out with his friends from school and even to his bad deeds like robbing the liquor store down 34th Street or that fateful night of his last race.

As they rolled through the gates of his house, the first thing Edward noticed was the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. It was white with black stripes and the changes made it look even more feral than usual.

"Who… What car…"

Emmett burst out laughing. "Only you'd notice the car. Here I thought you'd first notice the tree."

"We always decorate it. But the car. What's with it?" Edward insisted.

"It's Jasper's. He's here, which makes me wonder how did he know you're back."

"He likes Mom's cooking," Edward lied smoothly, throwing his cousin a big smile.

"Nice try."

"I told him. I had no idea it was a secret I was coming back early." He shrugged.

Their exchange woke Bella. She looked out the window at the grand house in front of her. Having been asleep, she was sure this was a dream.

They piled out of the car, grabbed the bags from the trunk and made their way to the front door.

"You don't have to come inside," Edward told Emmett.

"What, I thought your mom was a great cook."

"She is, but you don't have to."

"I do, actually. I promised Uncle Carlisle to bring you home safe and sound," Emmett said seriously, pushing his cousin up the front steps.

"I'll be fine," Edward retorted.

"What if a brick falls from the sky and hits you in the head?" Rose wondered making Bella giggle.

"Upset anyone lately, Rosalie? I had no idea it could rain with bricks."

The front door opened, showing Esme in her flowery robe, she always wore in the house.

"Edward, my baby!" She wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him tightly. Edward forgot about bickering with his cousin's soon-to-be-wife, and hugged his mother back.

"Hi, Mom."

"You've grown up." She sniffed.

"Maybe?" His eyes found his best friend's over his mother's head. "Jazz, my man!" Edward detangled from his mom and caught his friend in a hug. "Nice ride," he whispered.

"You like?" Jasper asked, laughing.

"Love it, man!"

"We can take it for a spin."

"Or not. Emmett's right behind me, probably burning holes in my head."

"You nailed it." Jasper laughed. "Who's the pretty lady?"

"Shit," Edward cursed under his breath, rushing to Bella's side. She'd stared from afar at the reunion, and wasn't sure how she'd fit in. Edward's mom was watching her with eagle eyes.

"Mom." Edward grabbed her attention from where she was asking Rosalie about her health and if she had any sickness yet. Esme turned toward her son, smiling, her hand still lingering on Rose's forearm. "Uh, Mom, this is Bella."

"The exchange student? Nice meeting you honey."

He chickened out in the last minute. "Yeah, her brother is away with…friends' problems. I invited her to spend the holiday with us."

"That's so nice of you, honey!" Esme beamed at her son.

"Are we keeping the guests outside on this cold weather, darling?" Carlisle asked from the doorway.

"Oh, dear. I'm so sorry. I guess I'm excited to have my boy back." Esme wrapped an arm around Edward's waist, leading everyone inside.

"Hey, Dad." He grinned as he passed his father. Carlisle caught his chin, looking at him curiously.

"Arizona has done you good, son. You've tanned."

"Really?"

"No."

Edward scowled, escaping his mother's hold only to take Bella's hand. "You want the grand tour?"

She bit her lip, looking around nervously. "Maybe after you present me to your parents? As your _girlfriend_!"

He cracked a small smile, draping his arm around her shoulders. "Guys, uh, Bella's more than the exchange student."

"Holding her hand gave you away," Jasper commented lightly.

Esme laughed, shaking her head at her son's friend antics. "That saves me the trouble of preparing a guest bedroom."

"See? They're cool with it. Told you." Edward winked at Bella. She looked mortified at the whole exchange. She had never met such laid back people.

It seemed that was all everyone needed—to hear the confirmation from Edward's mouth, because they scattered about after that. Carlisle took Emmett to his home office to discuss business, Esme took Rosalie to the kitchen, and that left Jasper leaning against the hallway's wall rolling a cigarette between his fingers.

"My room?" Edward asked, already tugging Bella after him up the stairs. "Jazz?" He stopped, turning expectantly for his friend.

"Coming." He pushed off the wall and in two long steps, he was next to them. "Do you think your mom will be mad if I smoke?"

"Yes." Edward opened the door of his room, flipping the light on and stepping aside. "Welcome to the jungle," he joked.

"It's pretty clean…" Bella mumbled.

"Now, but give him one hour," Jasper told her, throwing himself on Edward's bed. "I've never met another person who can make a mess of things in such a short period of time."

"Jasper!" Edward said on a warning tone, knowing full well his friend wasn't speaking of his room. "Anyway… Sit down, Bella." He pointed to his rolling desk chair. "Tell me about the Mitsu." Edward jumped on his desk, dangling his legs over the edge.

"It's crazy story. I kept a low profile after your arres—"

To stop Jasper from saying something he didn't want Bella to know, Edward made a show of pushing the photograph on his desk to the floor. "Oh, fuck," he gasped, kneeling to collect the broken glass. He loved the frame, but it was collateral damage. Better the frame broken than Bella hating him.

"Let me help," Bella offered, kneeling next to him.

Edward glanced up at Jasper, putting a finger over his lips and gesturing to Bella's head which was bent over the broken glass.

"Oh." Jasper nodded. "Yeah, so one day some dude came to the garage to repair his car."

"Yeah?" Edward interjected, allowing his friend to know he was paying attention. He quickly deposited the broken frame in the trash bin, helping Bella back on the chair. He also dropped a kiss to her forehead. "Did the dude give the car to you?" he added, turning his eyes to Jasper when he didn't say anything else.

His best friend was staring in shock at Edward. He'd never seen him so careful and attentive toward anyone else, beside his family and him and Alice. "Right." Jasper nodded, letting Edward's odd behavior slide. "He told me he got into an accident. After examining the damage, I told him a price and he freaked. You know how usually my customers start shouting at me for being too pricey and blah blah blah?" Edward nodded. "This one didn't say any of that. He actually asked me if I wanted the car. He'd leave it really cheap for me. It didn't take me long to realize he wanted to dispose of the Mitsu. I bought it from him without blinking. He wanted one grand, I gave him seven hundred and fifty, and free service for his next car, for life. We had a deal."

Edward laughed. "What was the catch?"

"The catch was that a couple days later the cops showed up asking if I'd seen that guy or if he'd come at my garage for help. I lied, and immediately called your cousin. It turned out the dude who sold me the Mitsubishi was involved into an illegal street race which had taken place on August thirteenth."

Edward's face drained of blood. That was the fateful date that ruined his life. "Michael, by any chance?" He asked without realizing.

"Yes! He was your opponent!" Jasper exclaimed. "I knew his face was familiar. Damn competing under a nickname."

"What are you talking about?" Bella blurt out, the curiosity getting the best of her. They were talking about racing—illegal racing—a very touchy subject to her.

"Edward's last race, of course," Jasper said as if it was the most natural thing.

"JASPER! Fuck, man."

"Race? What race, Edward?" Bella asked in a small voice.

 _To lie or not to lie, that is the question_. The longer he looked into Bella's chocolate eyes, the more he hated himself.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Bella refused to understand that Edward had been lying to her for months. He simply couldn't have been part of illegal races. He would have told her when she spilled her darkest secret to him.

But as she thought about it, she realized that he knew too much about cars and racing—more than boys his age would. He had rebuilt that car for Jacob. He knew her Ford Focus had been modified at some point. He even asked about the nitro. That itself should have rang warning bells.

"Does James know?" She asked softly, afraid to acknowledge her boyfriend being a racer.

"Which part?" Edward answered.

"You, racing..."

"Yes. Yes, he knows. But I've changed, that's why I lived with you. I got in trouble and they sent me away."

"So Jake giving me papers for you to fill in wasn't a mistake?"

"What papers?" Edward asked, surprised she hadn't mentioned any papers. "Bella, what are you talking about?"

She grabbed her backpack and after looking through it, came out with a file. "Here. Jake told me to give these to you to fill in. It's for the competition."

"I thought you were done with racing," Jasper said in a shocked voice.

"I was. I _am_. Fuck. He wants me to compete?" Edward felt like his world had turned upside down in a matter of minutes. "I'm not doing this."

"Your name is there…everywhere. You only have to sign." Bella pointed to the papers. "I thought it was a mistake."

"It is." Edward grabbed her hands, holding her tightly. "I'm not competing. Please, believe me. Shit." He moaned, grabbing fistfuls of his hair. "Don't tell anyone. Okay? It's between us until I get to talk to Jake and rip him a new one."

"Dude, if Emmett caught wind of this…" Jasper shuddered.

Just then the door of Edward's room opened to show none other Emmett. "I need to talk to you, Ed," he said on a gruff voice.

Edward's hand shook as he pushed the papers in Bella's hands, pleading her with his eyes to hide them. "I'll be right back," he promised. After stroking her cheek and sharing a worried look with Jasper, he followed his cousin out the room.

"Where are we going?" he asked meekly, trudging after his cousin.

"To your father's office."

 _Fuck_ , Edward thought panicked. "I've done nothing wrong. I promise you. I'm good."

"I know that, dude!" Emmett looked at his dubiously. "He wants to talk to you. I'm simply delivering you there before going home. Rose's downstairs freaking out."

"Cold feet?" Edward joked.

"Just self-doubts, but everyone has them."

"So you're sleeping together? I mean…you're seeing her before the church?"

"What church, Ed? We're going to the City Hall. There might be a real nice ceremony at some point, but for now we're going to sign the papers and hope everything is clear before New Year's. Her visa expires soon and…I don't even want to think of her leaving."

Edward gaped at his cousin. "So basically you're tying the knot so your girlfriend won't be extradited? Sweet, man."

"Big words there, cous, but basically that's right. In a nutshell." Emmett laughed, ruffling his cousin's hair. "Here you are." He waved to Carlisle's office door. "Be a good boy and see you in the morning."

"I'll be the one keeping my eyes open with toothpicks."

"Our appointment is at nine. Not too early, not too late." With a pat on Edward's back, Emmett took the stairs, whistling.

 _He's probably the only guy happy to get married—bound forever to the same pussy._ Edward shuddered and knocked on his father's door.

"Come in, son!" Carlisle called loudly.

As Edward stepped inside his father's office, he pondered on his last thought. Maybe being with the same person wasn't so bad. He hadn't gotten bored of Bella, and they hadn't done anything yet. _Wanting the same pussy meant growing up, right?_

"Something amusing?" Carlisle interrupted Edward's moment of wisdom.

"No, Sir."

"Good. Sit." He pointed to the plush chair across his desk. Edward sank in the soft seat, feeling a wave of dejà-vu clouding him. He'd done it so often. He couldn't barely recall him and his father having a conversation in another place. "How was school? Did you get accustomed to that town? Make any friends?"

 _Is this the Inquisition?_ Edward wondered idly. "It's been okay." He shrugged.

"Emmett got only good reviews from your host, James Swan."

"Reviews?" The teenager couldn't contain his shock. "What am I now? A movie? A book? Am I also rated one to five starts, too? Do I get an Oscar or something?"

"Edward, don't raise your voice at me. Remember, you're the delinquent."

"Dad!"

Carlisle narrowed his dark blue eyes at his son. "As I said. You got good reviews—feedback. Does that sound better?"

 _Worse_ , Edward thought sullenly.

"And I have a present for you."

 _Now I feel like a good puppy. I did my trick right and got my treat._ Edward folded his arms over his chest.

"Don't you want to know what I got you?" Carlisle prodded gently.

"A book on good manners?"

The frown reappeared between his father's brows. "I'm starting to think that would have been a better choice. Nevertheless, grab your jacket and follow me." He stood and crossed his office to his door.

 _Grab my jacket?_ "Where are we going?" Edward's heart slammed in his chest. A small part of him thought he was going to get introduced to his father's friends—the mob. As much as it had thrilled him in the past, the idea made him feel sick now.

"Just outside."

"I don't need it, then," Edward concluded. He was wearing a long sleeved sweater.

Carlisle sighed aggravated. "Will the day when you listen to me ever come?"

Edward rolled his eyes, walking a step behind his father. They reached the foyer. He could hear his mother in the kitchen, bustling around. Emmett and Rose must have left. His father opened the front door and ushered Edward outside, leading him to the garage. He had a strong grip on his son's upper arm.

Edward couldn't help but let his gaze linger on Jasper's ride. He so wished his baby wasn't scrap metal—or close to it.

"Close your eyes."

He shoot Carlisle a worried look before doing as told, not sure what to expect.

The door of the garage opened slowly, groaning loudly. Then Edward was pushed inside. The first thing that assaulted him was the smell of fresh paint.

Maybe they had redecorated.

Carlisle turned his son a little to the right, positioning him so when he'd tell him to open his eyes to have a full view of his present.

"Merry Christmas, son," he whispered.

Slowly, Edward blinked his eyes open. His mouth fell as he found himself staring at his restored Talladega. "Dad," he whispered in a hoarse voice. "God." Blinded by a sudden invasion of tears, he turned to hug his father. "Thank you so much!"

Carlisle patted his son on the back, moved by the reaction he got out of his stoic son. He couldn't remember the last time he'd surprised Edward, let alone extracted such emotions from him with a present.

He pulled the key out of his pocket. "You only have to promise me one thing."

"I will never race again," Edward blurt out.

"Do I have your word?" Carlisle stared intensely at him.

"Do you want my signature in blood? Dad, I realized what I was doing was stupid, but I loved the speed…I still do, but I'll never do it again."

"I truly hope so." He pressed the key in his son's palm. "You should probably thank Jasper, too. He's the one who did the work. It was Esme's idea to repair the car. I only wired the money." He chuckled.

"This is the best present. Oh, shit!" Edward's eyes widened in horror. "Bella." He'd forgotten all about her. He was rubbish at this boyfriend stuff. He simply abandoned her to his best friend.

"Oh, right. Bella. I expect to get to know your girlfriend better. But in the morning."

Edward wanted to stay longer with Betty—touch her, feel the metal under his fingers, the smell of fresh paint and leather, but Bella was waiting. For the first time in his life he chose flesh and blood over metal and oil.

As they walked inside the house, Carlisle stopped Edward before he could run upstairs. "Another thing. I can't stop you from doing anything—literally—but all I want is you to be safe."

"Is this your way of giving me a sex talk? Don't worry. I'm not."

"You're not what? I was talking about the car."

"Oh." Blood rushed to Edward's cheeks. "I'll be careful. Thank Mom from me too."

His father nodded and turned to go into the kitchen while Edward took the stairs two at a time. When he burst in his room, he found Bella and Jasper exactly where he'd left them. They seemed to have been laughing about something, but stopped when he entered.

"Don't stop on my account," he mumbled, making a beeline to Bella. He pulled her up, sat on his chair, before tugging her down and encasing her in his arms. He inhaled deeply, burrowing his nose in her hair. "We'll talk once we're alone," he whispered to her.

She gave a choking sound, too embarrassed by his affectionate display in front of his friend.

"Jazz." Edward looked up at his friend. "Thank you so much, man. She's back to her perfect self."

Jasper raised an eyebrow in question, then suddenly a smirk appeared on his lips. "Oh, you like? I was so worried you wouldn't like what I did."

"Not like? Man, she's…superb. My precious little Betty once again alive and ready to rock."

"Not too hard," Jasper warned him. "I repaired her, but your dad made me keep away any improvements."

"You think I care? It's not like I'm going to race her." His tone was firm.

Jasper chortled loudly. "Who are you and what have you done to my buddy?"

"I'm starting to wonder the same thing," Bella said quietly. "Who are you and what have you done with that sweet boy I've grown to like over the past few months?"

Edward knew there would be a time when his past would come up biting him in the ass. At the moment, his past and present were in the same room, being confused of his true self. He wasn't sure himself who he was anymore.

"I've done stupid stuff before I came to Fredonia. I thought it was the right thing. But then I decided to be good and impress your brother while there. I guess being good suits me."

"Did you crack your head?" Jasper asked amused.

Edward threw him a glare. "I think you should go. I have to go play Best Man in less than twelve hours."

"Luck with that. I better go before Alice realizes I'm here, and has my balls for seeing you before her."

"You're friends with her folks, suddenly?" Edward couldn't help but be surprised. Jasper had never been on friendly terms with Alice's parents.

"Oh, I didn't tell you! She moved in with me when he father told her to choose. It was crazy. I already had Rachel over—you know my neighbor from third floor. She was crying that her husband was cheating. Then Alice dropped by at eleven at night with her bags and red puffy eyes. What hell am I? Seriously? Does it read 'shrink' on my forehead?"

"Did she freak about Rachel?"

"You know it. She even said she'd go sleep in the park. I talked sense into her, got rid of Rachel and…that's how Alice moved in with me."

Edward sighed, standing up, keeping a hold on Bella's waist. "I missed the good stuff."

"Don't worry. You'll see her tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, Bella. See you, man!" Jasper waved to them. "I can show myself out," he added when Edward took a step after him.

Once the door closed after his best friend, Edward peered down at his girl. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him.

"So…" He ran a hand through his hair.

Bella clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides.

"I was going to tell you, but I hoped you'd never hear of this."

He didn't see her hand moving—only heard the whooshing sound and felt the sting on his left cheek.

"I'm going to sleep in the guest bedroom. Where is it?"

"Bella, look…"

"Now," she snapped. "Unless you want a matching splotch on your other cheek."

Tentatively he took her hand, collected her bag and led her a few doors down the hallway. "I'm sorry."

"You better have a good explanation tomorrow after a good night's sleep. I don't want to ruin your cousin's wedding so we're going to talk after that."

Edward nodded solemnly. "I'll grab you clean bedding."

As he went in search for the promised stuff, he realized what a huge mistake he had done. He should have told Bella everything the moment she opened up to him about Brady's accident. Dragging the inevitable and hiding behind more lies, he was in over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Edward slept fitfully that night. He had nightmares varying in intensity and nature.

It started with Jake dangling the key of Mach One in front of him luring him toward the race that was about to start a few feet away. Edward could smell the adrenaline combined with the gas, and the key almost glowed calling to him like a piece of juicy steak. Then he sat behind the wheel and his opponent was a frail guy he immediately knew it was Brady. The one to give them the start was Bella. She was dressed in a skimpy skirt and tight shirt, wearing pig tails. At her start gesture, he zoomed ahead feeling the adrenaline pumping in his veins. But after he blinked, he was on the busy street in Chicago, five months ago. He was racing at a high speed, wavering between cars, passing red lights, with no clue of his destination. In his mad dash, he saw with the corner of his eye as on either side of the boulevard were his friends—his first gang from high school, Jasper, Alice, Jake and the others from the Rez, his parents, Emmett and Rose. Edward didn't stop, he kept going until he reached the docks. That's when it all became clear. He stepped out of the car and walked to the edge of the dock, looking at the departing boat. Bella was there, the moon's light falling on her. She was stoic, staring solemnly at him. His legs bucked and he fell to his knees.

"Don't go," he whimpered, reaching a hand, grasping through the air. "Bella."

The boat suddenly vanished, and he woke with a jerk, drenched in cold sweat. Edward hugged the blanket closer around his body, shivering.

_What fucked up dream was that?_

The clock on his nightstand read 5:55. No point in going back to bed. Not really.

He slipped out of his room and tiptoed to the guest bedroom. The door creaked loudly making him jump and look around before inching closer to the bed. Bella was curled in a ball, hugging the pillow.

He sat on the edge of the bed, a hand hovering above her head. Edward didn't want to lose Bella. He prayed this wasn't the last he'd see of her. There had always been this looming cloud above his head, and he knew that getting involved wasn't a good idea, especially not as invested as he had gotten in their relationship. Maybe if he'd told her from the beginning…

But it was too late to dwell on maybe and what if. He had to face the consequences in a few hours.

Slowly, softly Edward traced the back of his hand over Bella's cheek. "I'm sorry, baby."

As he left her room he knew there was only one way out. Even though it pained him, he knew that was the only way to keep him away from temptations and give him time to ponder over his deeds.

With the decision to speak to Emmett as soon as he got the occasion, Edward went to the kitchen in search for coffee.

It didn't take long for his mother to join him. She was surprised to find her son awake so early, but she loved spending time with him. She'd missed him so much.

Esme sat next to him at the table, stroking his hair. He gave her a small smile.

"Bella seems to be a nice girl," she said softly.

"She is." _And I'm a royal fuck-up_ , he added in his head.

"I can't wait to have you back for second semester."

"Yeah…" He sipped from his mug, not meeting her eyes. If his plan worked, there would be no second semester for him. It was like he had sentenced himself, and maybe he had. Maybe choosing juvie was for his best—for everyone's best.

"Something wrong, hon? You look distracted."

"Just thinking…" He shrugged. "Emmett's wedding, you know? Bella meeting my parents."

"Stop worrying. We like her very much. You seem different, in a good way. It was a wise choice to go to Arizona."

"We?" Edward asked, surprised. "Dad likes her?"

"Very much so. He said it's a surprise you've done something smart in your life, but of course you knew how to choose your girlfriend, you are his son. His words." She giggled.

"Nice." He laughed. "Uh, Mom? What do I wear at Emmett's wedding?"

"I don't think it really matters. A dress shirt and jeans if you want."

"Oh." Edward looked into his cup. "Do I have to ask Bella to be my date?"

"That would be the polite thing to do." His mother nodded, cupping his cheek. "And don't fret. People mess up in relationships, but if your heart is truly in that relationship it will work."

"I doubt it will," he mumbled, fear gripping at his insides.

"You're too young, honey. But once you fell in love with the right person—"

"That's not the problem," he hissed, fixating his mother with his eyes. "She can never love me back. She can't because I'm an asshole. I messed up."

"That's why she's sleeping in the guest bedroom."

"One reason," Edward admitted. He wondered if it was a good idea to tell his mom about his greatest fears, but then again she'd always been there for him and knew what to say. Taking a cleansing breath, he started talking. He told her everything from how he started with the racing in Chicago, how he found himself in the middle of the desert attracted to this girl who was supposed to be his housemate, how they started the relationship based on lies, how he had helped Jake with the car, which led to the previous night when he spewed his darkest secret to the only girl he'd ever opened up and who made him feel so much.

His long speech was followed by silence, and Edward was sure he'd disappointed his mother.

"Oh, honey!" She wrapped him in her arms, swaying. "Why didn't you talk to me before? Before it was too late? Oh, Edward."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled in her shirt.

"It's alright. Everything's changed now. You're safe." She stroked his hair, kissing his temple repetitively. "Talk to Bella. Tell her exactly what you told me. She'll understand, honey."

"It's too late, Mom."

"No, it's not. Why do you keep saying that?" Esme took his face in her hands. "Sweetheart, don't do anything stupid."

Mother's sixth sense knew he was about to go to slaughter on his own accord.

Their conversation was cut short when Bella appeared in the doorway. She realized it was a bad time from the way Esme was hugging her son. He slipped from his mother's hug and went to his girlfriend. His fingers found hers and he pulled her closer, burrowing his face in her hair.

"Morning," Bella greeted them. "I'm sorry. Did I interrupt you?"

"Good morning, sweetie. Don't worry." Esme smiled at her. "Breakfast?"

"We'll be in my room," Edward said, leading Bella up the stairs.

"Is everything okay? Were you in my room earlier?" she asked, trying to keep up with his long legs.

He was surprised that she knew that piece of information. "Maybe." He opened the door of his room, allowing her to step in first. As she passed him, he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her delectable ass.

 _Focus, Edward_. He needed to keep his head clear and think of the matter at hand—gaining Bella's trust and making her see he wasn't the bad guy. Lying some more, actually. He _was_ the bad guy.

"Bella," he started with false confidence, pacing the length of his room.

She sat on the edge of his bed, chewing on her lip as she followed him with her eyes. He looked like a caged lion.

"Bella," Edward repeated, raking his fingers through his hair. "I've been racing for pretty much as long as I have my driving license. I met Jasper a few months after my test. Basically, he taught me the opposite the instructor told me. It didn't take long for me to fall for this…driving fast, racing. Soon, I started competing. It was small, but then as I kept winning he promoted me until I got to the real deal with the real guys."

"Like in the movies?"

He glanced at her. "Yeah. He always knew where to hold the races so the cops won't find us, and it helped that I knew Emmett and inconspicuously told Jasper about the areas they were patrolling. It went well—more than well, perfect—until one of our races got compromised by the cops. Instead of pulling away and facing my problems, I sped away. I got so far I ended up in the boulevard where I got caught in traffic, but still sped. There were three cruisers after me—like in the movies." He chuckles nervously. "They kept calling through the megaphones for me to pull over, but I didn't. What stopped me was a car…to which I collided. It was frontal and thank God I was wearing the seatbelt."

"Holy shit!" Bella covered her mouth.

"I had a fractured rib and many bruises. The other guy wasn't so lucky."

"As in…"

"Yes. But not dead, only he had it worse than me. They took ages to extract him from the car because he had broken hips. He had internal bleeding and was in the hospital for months. I don't know if he's out." Edward nodded solemnly. "I was still seventeen when it happened and the process was quick. Emmett saved me from being sent to juvenile detention by telling the judge he'd send me to a student exchange program where I'd be monitored by a cop, and after my senior year they would decide my life."

"What?" Bella gasped. Her brained seemed to have stopped functioning.

"They're either going to absolve me of my felonies—because that accident was the worst of them, but before I've done tons of stupid stuff like drinking, robbing stores, drugs…you name it."

"Or?" she asked in a small voice. "If they don't absolve you?"

"It's prison." He stopped pacing. "But if I chose juvie now when it's not too late…I get to spend only three years there. I think."

"Are you crazy? Edward, are you planning on going to juvie? Have you lost your mind?"

"That's my place, Bella. Can't you see? I can't seem to stay out of trouble if I'm free."

Bella got up so fast she was a blur and then charged at him, grabbing his by the front of his shirt. "Don't do anything stupid! I can't even think of you going to that place! Edward!"

"Why do you care? I thought you hated me after learning I love to race."

"It's true I hate racing and everything it involves, but Edward…you've changed as you said, and…and…I can't tell you what to do with your life." Tears spilled from her brown eyes as she looked into his green ones. "But don't throw your life away. Emmett saved you once, but no one can save you from yourself. If you think you deserve to go there…then you've lost your will to fight. Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Of course you do!"

"Then fight for me, damn it!"

He stared at her in surprise. He hadn't heard her cussing before.

Looking in her eyes he realized he'd got it all wrong. They hadn't spoken the words but they were there, he could feel them, could feel the love.

"Bella," he murmured, wrapping his fingers in her hair, bringing her head closer and kissing her desperately. She reciprocated, jumping and wrapping her legs around his waist.

They were too immersed in their post-fight making-out session to hear the door opening.

"There is no need to devour the poor girl, son. Breakfast is ready," Carlisle announced his presence.

The couple jumped apart, blushing scarlet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

The wedding at the City Hall was short. Edward didn't have any term of comparison, because all he knew were the church weddings—all family friends who got married over the years did it in the church. In his opinion this was much better.

As their witness, not actually Best Man as he thought wrongly of the term, he had to linger once the ceremony was over. The party would be at a restaurant downtown. Soon after everything was sorted and the documents sent to the right people to prove Rosalie was married to an American citizen, she departed with a lingering kiss for Emmett.

"Smooth, man," Edward said laughing, loosening the blasted tie around his neck. "She's now married to you and already left."

"Only to change her shoes and get there before us. You know Rosie, always in control of the situation." Emmett looked happier than Edward had ever seen him. "Come on, let's go. You're driving with me. I want to chat."

"Sure." Edward swallowed nervously thinking back a few hours ago. If Bella hadn't talked sense into him, he'd probably be begging his cousin to send him to the juvie.

"Everything okay? You look a little tense, kid."

They were in the warmth of Emmett's car, away from the cold Chicago air, but Edward still felt chilly.

"If you're worried about your girl, don't. I can tell your mom likes her. She's in good hands."

"That's the problem," Edward mumbled.

"That Aunt Esme likes her?"

"She knows, Em." It was suddenly too hot and Edward clawed at his tie until it was off and three buttons of his shirt open. "This is too complicated. Maybe you should have sent me away and be done with it. How long would I have been in juvie?"

"Are you kidding me now?" Emmett shouted, turning to glare at his younger cousin. "Juvenile detention over a normal life?"

"Normal life?" Edward snorted. "I'm…wait, what term did Dad use…oh, right. James gave you good reviews about me, and like a good sport you passed them to my parents. Did I get a golden star too?"

"Edward…."

"Look, Emmett. I've done stupid shit, I know. Okay? But I don't want to pay for it left and right or the past to keep me from living normally, as you put it."

Emmett huffed. "And you think going to juvie would have done that?" he asked incredulously.

"It would have helped me think. It's too late to do that, right?"

"We're not having this moronic discussion." The older man started the car, grumbling about idiots under his breath. "You better have an impeccable behavior on your record by the end of school. I'm serious, cous."

Edward slouched in the seat, burrowing his face in his hands.

"Kid, after that accident you being still out and about is huge, and considering your rap sheet…the Judge was more than—"

"Cut the crap, Emmett," Edward muttered in his hands. "We both know Dad paid him off to keep me out of juvie, prison wherever they wanted to send me. If Dad wasn't who he is…I wouldn't be here, we'd probably talk through phones separated by a window. I'd be in orange or something like that."

A lump created in Emmett's throat. "Cous…"

"I'm sorry. I tried not to say anything. Not today. I ruined your day." Edward dropped his hands to his lap.

They arrived at the restaurant, but neither of them got out of the car. Emmett was searching the glove compartment for paper tissues, and Edward was struggling to put his tie back.

"Come on, I think we're late," Emmett urged his cousin suddenly.

They left the car and Edward kept tugging at his tie until Emmett turned around and took pity. Edward stared down his nose at Emmett's fingers as they knotted his tie just right.

"Jake wanted me to race the car I repaired," he blurted out. Emmett's finger slipped, choking the teenager. "I didn't do it!" Edward cracked out.

"Sorry. It took me by surprise. Good thing you're not going back—you won't be tempted."

"I am going back to help Bella pack some things."

"Are you sure that's why you're going back. As a matter of fact, I know that race will take place on January fourth."

"How?"

"I'm a cop, kid. James told me."

"Figures," Edward muttered. "Anyway, it's your big day. Let's go have fun!" He wrapped his arm around his cousin's neck leading the way inside the restaurant.

"Keep in mind you're underage. If I see or smell anything besides soda in your glass, you're in heaps of trouble."

"Aye!" Edward mock saluted.

They were greeted at the door by a waiter with champagne flutes on a tray.

"Take one. It's polite," Emmett whispered. "But don't drink."

"You'd be an awesome dad. The kid will hate you and count down the days until he's twenty-one."

His words had a great effect on Emmett. He'd been worried about what kind of parent he'd make. Edward joking about his skills didn't make him feel any better.

Edward noticed how pale his cousin had gotten and immediately apologized, but his words were drowned by a large group of Emmett's friends from the police coming over to congratulate their friend. Edward mumbled about going to find Bella, and made himself scarce.

He walked around the large restaurant, searching for his girlfriend, his heart doubling in speed when he couldn't find her. _Maybe after all she left_. He couldn't conceive that.

Suddenly, a small figure grabbed his attention. There she was! Bella sat at a corner table, facing the window with her phone to her ear.

Edward sneaked behind her, hugging her that way, kissing her exposed neck. "Hey, baby."

She visibly jumped, not expecting her boyfriend's presence or his cold nose and lips attacking her. She quickly covered the mouthpiece. "Shh. It's Jimmy. He's upset."

Edward nodded in understanding and sat next to her, stretching his long legs under the table. He pulled his own phone out, which reminded him to ask his parents of a new one, before quickly firing a text message to Jasper. His friend was busy at the garage and couldn't chat for long, but offered to meet Edward that evening. They set a time and place.

Bella shifted in her seat, letting Edward know she was done talking to her brother.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"He agreed I come here with you, remember? Now he's upset I'm here and says he'd come and take me home."

"What? No. He can't," Edward said panicked.

"Don't worry." She covered his hand with hers. "I reminded him that in only two weeks I'll have to live here…second semester is around the corner."

"Right. You do have to go back…to get your clothes." Edward tried clinging on something, anything. He had to go back to Fredonia and talk to Jake about the race. He wasn't going to be part of that, and he knew the implications of not showing if your name was on the list.

"James is coming here after Christmas. He'll bring my things and he wants to meet your parents to make sure they're not as insane as you. His words." She blushed furiously. "I don't think you're insane."

Edward chuckled nervously. "I sure hope so. Want to come with me later to Jasper's? I need to talk to him about things. You can meet Alice."

"Things?" Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, things." He grinned. "Nothing against the law."

"I hope so. I kept meaning to ask…" She bit her lip, clutching at his fingers. "Did Jimmy know? Everything about you?"

He averted his eyes. "Yes, I told you last night. You were probably too shocked. Why do you think he kept me in a leash?"

"Jeez. I can't believe I didn't see anything…I mean there was something off with you…"

"Thanks," he joked, tugging her closer and pecking her cheek.

"I mean, I could tell you had a secret, but then again everyone has a deep dark secret."

"The difference between us, is that you told me yours. I should have told you about mine right away. Actually, I wanted to tell you that day—when you told me about Brady. Which I already knew…a little…from James."

Bella sighed. "Can we not think of that now? It's done. At least you told me. It doesn't matter it was by mistake and we had a fight, but I know and it all makes sense now."

"What makes sense?"

"You knowing cars. You have no idea how many times Jake cornered me asking if you read car magazines for leisure, or if you're another cop—like Brady—infiltrated in high school to observe the deeds of students."

Edward couldn't help but burst out laughing. "A cop? Me?"

"I know, it's silly. I always told him to give it a rest. You're just a boy on the student exchange program."

A flurry of pale pink dress appeared at their table. Rosalie was smiling brightly. She had her long blonde hair done in a coquettish twist, a few strands curled at the nape of her neck, her blue eyes standing out thanks to the dark eyeliner and mascara on her lashes.

"Edward." She offered her hand, showing her French manicured nails.

He looked horrified at her. "I don't dance!"

"Only in bed, I know. All little boys say that," she said on an amused tone.

"Why don't you find your husband? Dance with him." Edward folded his arms across his chest. He chose not to comment on her snide remark. He didn't want to talk about sex with Bella next to him.

"It's not polite to refuse the bride."

"Go," Bella whispered, nudging him.

That seemed to be everything Rosalie needed because she grasped Edward's hand and pulled him up.

"I really have no idea how to dance, Rose. Besides, Bella's my date."

"You are a lousy date if you plan on sitting at the table the whole evening."

Edward frowned, watching his cousin walking to Bella and offering to dance with her. He turned his eyes to his dancing partner. "Teach me," he said determined.

"Jealous?"

"Rose."

The new Mrs. Emmett McCarty showed him patiently the ground rules of dancing. This was the Rose he'd grown to know once she got comfortable around Emmett's family. It always took her time to get used to new people.

"Give Bella the benefit of the doubt, will you?" Edward asked, twirling her before returning to waltzing around the dance floor.

"You really like her. Wow." Her wide blue eyes stared in amazement at the young boy. "She's not that bad." Rose glanced toward her husband who was laughing with Bella as she kept stumbling over his feet. "I see you're a match made in heaven when it comes to dancing."

Sullenly, Edward stepped on her foot, looking as innocent as possible.

"You're an ass, Cullen."

"I've been told many things about my ass."

"Ewww!" Rose made a face. "I might need the powder room if you keep disgusting me."

"And we didn't even eat." Edward laughed at his own stupid joke making Rose digs her long nails in his palm. "Ow, crazy!"

"Don't say stuff like that. Anyway. I think I should rescue my husband." A brilliant smile appeared on her face.

"And I my girl."

They strolled across the dance floor, shoulder to shoulder. Emmett was in the middle of telling Bella about one time when he had to babysit his little cousin and the adventures they had. She was laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes.

"Sharing a private joke?" Edward asked, stepping between them and taking Bella's hands.

Chuckling, Emmett shook his head. "I was telling Bella about our five years age difference."

"Yeah, so? There's nothing funny about it. Just imagine how much fun it would have been the other way round!" Edward smirked.

Bella giggled loudly, her cheeks flaming. "Emmett told me of the time you two were left alone, and you made poo-poo and wanted him to clean you."

Edward turned scarlet from embarrassment and anger. He glared at his cousin. "That's private, dude! You don't see me telling Rose of the times you were supposed to have fun with me, when we were older…but in reality you installed me in front of the TV so you could bed some chick. Shit, I think I just did." He didn't look really sorry.

"Edward!" Emmett groaned, eyeing his wife warily.

"That's why he turned up crazy. He had to listen to you doing indecent things to your friend?" Rose laughed, wrapping her arms around Emmett.

"I'm not crazy," Edward protested. "Come on, let's go eat something." He pulled Bella toward their table.

"Don't be upset. Everyone does funny things when they're young."

"I bet you were very well behaved," he murmured.

"Not really. You'll be surprised. Remember the toy car I stole from Jimmy? That was nothing."

Edward cocked his head to the side, regarding her amused. "Maybe Rose is right. Maybe we're a match made in heaven."

"She looks really happy," Bella noted, eyeing the newlyweds as they were kissing in the spot they had left them.

"I told you, Bella. She's not like that. She'll come around. Now that you're staying over, you'll get to know each other better."

"So that means all thoughts of going to juvie left your head? Thank God."

He smiled sadly. "I thought you hated me. It was the only thing I could think of that would bring me on the right track."

She cupped her cheeks. "You are on the right track. You've been ever since senior year started."

He gave her a dubious look.

"Forget Jake."

He laughed, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

Soon everyone got seated. At the restaurant Emmett and Rose had invited their friends and their small group had expanded. Carlisle and Esme joined Edward and Bella at their table. As much as it embarrassed Edward to have his parents at the same table, Bella didn't seem to mind. She liked his parents and truthfully, she missed hers. She didn't have much time with them, and of what she remembered they were very nice and attentive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

The party at the restaurant was lively and fun, but it quickly become dull for Edward and Bella. They were the only teenagers, and the newlyweds simply forgot about them, being surrounded by their friends. Edward's parents were on the other side of the room, talking with Emmett's parents, laughing and having a good time.

"Want to get out of here?" Edward asked, playing with his fork, twirling it between his fingers.

"What about dessert?"

"Fuck it. It's boring in here. Come on." He stood, pulling her to her feet.

"Are we saying goodbye to them?" Bella gestured toward where Rose and Emmett were sharing a glass of champagne. "It's only polite, Edward. He's your cousin, and she's part of the family now too."

Groaning in frustration, he nodded in agreement and led her to his cousin.

"Edward, my man!" Emmett was definitely tipsy. "You having fun?"

"No." Edward scowled.

The answer sobered the groom. "Oh? Join us here."

"No, Em. These are your friends, I get it. Look, I'm going over to Jasper's. I miss him."

"Your 'rents are looking for you," Rose joined the conversation, nodding toward Mr. and Mrs. Cullen.

"We better go." Edward dropped Bella's hand and shook Emmett's before kissing Rose's cheek. "Have a good marriage…or whatever the saying is."

"Congratulations," Bella told them, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Thank you, Bella. I hope we can become friends one day," Rose said quietly, kissing her cheeks.

"Come on, I want to go home with Mom and Dad. We don't have a ride." Edward rudely tugged Bella away from her hug with Emmett. "Bye guys! Have fun on the honeymoon."

They were already making their way toward the exit, not hearing Emmett's complaint about no honeymoon. They had decided on a summer vacation, which was months away.

"There you are!" Esme exclaimed, bringing Edward into a hug when he reached his parents. His mother smoothed his hair and straightened his collar. "Are you coming home with us?"

"Yes, but only to get Betty. We're off to Jazz's. I promised I'd drop by."

Carlisle gave him a speculative look, narrowing his eyes. "Remember what we talked."

"Yes, Dad."

The quarto made their way to Carlisle's Mercedes. Bella and Edward piled in the backseat and his parents in the front.

"It's good we're going to your house. I'd like to change out of this dress," Bella whispered, leaning into him.

"Yeah, I want to look normal when I meet my friend. If he saw me like this—" He gestured to his dress shirt and suit. "—he'd have a field day…and never let it go."

"Yeah, this isn't me." Bella smoothed the hem of her dress which was reaching mid-thigh now that she was sitting.

"I like it." Edward winked, covering her knee with his large warm hand. "But in this crazy weather, I'm surprised you're not cold."

"I am," she said, giggling.

"Oh." He frowned and opened his suit, hugging her close, enclosing her in his warm jacket. She was instantly engulfed by his scent and his warmth. Her own coat had done little to keep her warm. Edward rubbed his hand over her thigh. "Dad, can you turn up the heater?"

Without answering, Carlisle complied. Esme turned to look back at them and smiled at the sight that greeted her. She'd never seen her son so worried about anyone besides himself. He had never cared for anyone. She was aware he might have had a girlfriend before Bella, though she never met them, but it was clear that her boy was smitten.

Carlisle's phone buzzed loudly and it seemed to be connected to the car's system. "Cullen," he answered stiffly.

"Sir, we have a problem," a small, squeaky voice said in a rush.

"Ricky, you're on speaker." It sounded like a warning.

"The fish got caught."

Edward and Bella exchanged a look. Edward always hated their coded words.

"Caught?" Carlisle inhaled sharply.

"Caught, Sir. Oh and someone knows about…background…Oh, fuck it. I can't talk like this. The pizzeria façade has been discovered."

"What?" Carlisle shouted, exchanging a horrified look with his wife. "Where are you?"

"At De Marco's. The pizzeria is still working. They have no idea of the raid upstairs." Ricky sounded worried.

"Fuck."

Edward knew when his father cursed it was really bad.

"Don't let anyone in. I need to drop my family home. Damn, Emmett's day is ruined." He hung up, speeding toward their house. "Esme, call your father. Edward, if you go to Jasper's, I'd like you to stay overnight. It's only a precaution."

"What's going on?" Edward asked, confused and worried.

"Only a small problem at the pizzeria."

"Dad. Ricky said raid…and what the hell was that all about the fish caught?"

"Not now!" Carlisle growled, meeting his eyes through the rear-view mirror. He parked in front of the house, but didn't shut off the engine. He turned to talk to his wife, instructing her on what to do, while Edward pulled Bella out of the car. "Edward," his dad called, motioning for him to come to his window.

Bella and Esme made their way inside the house.

"Son, if you choose to tell your girlfriend something, be careful."

"She knows everything," Edward said truthfully.

"Does she know about my business?" His eyes widened.

"Oh. No. That…"

"That. What I do is very serious."

"Can you tell me…?" Edward put his hands on the rolled window. "Dad, what happened?"

"I moved most of my business from the docks to your mother's pizzeria. You can't be that blind, Edward. I'm sure you know what I've been doing above the pizzeria."

"Oh. I thought…there was an empty apartment."

"Not exactly empty. Damn. I wonder who's the rat." Carlisle rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Go to Jasper's, you'll be safe there if someone decides to go after my family."

"Dad, you're scaring me. What about Mom?" Edward's legs shook.

"It might be nothing. The police love to trash places from to time just because they're bored. I hope it was the case. Your mother will be safe with her parents. Now, go."

"Let me know," Edward whispered.

Carlisle nodded, rolled up the window and peeled off, making a sharp turn before speeding away.

 _Holy shit._ Edward had never thought of the implications of his father's business. He'd seen mafia movies, but never thought how it was in real life. He'd really been blind. His father really was like Corleone.

He went inside on shaky legs, and poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen.

"Everything is going to be okay." Esme was behind him, rubbing his back. "Carlisle is clean. They have no lead to him with anything."

 _Shit_. His mother was just as much involved. "Why have you never told me? I knew of Dad's business but…you too."

"The name of the pizzeria…" She gave him a raised eyebrow.

 _De Marco_. Edward shrugged. But the longer he stared at his mother, the clearer everything was. "Grandpa?"

"Yes, honey. He initiated your father into this."

"Holy shit. I really need to stay at Jasper's and mull this over. So me racing and robbing stores is nothing compared to Dad's hazardous hobbies?"

"Edward, it's not like that!"

"Mom, I remember when I was younger and he kept taking me with him to different places. I sat in the car and he went inside—there were always suburbs… Fuck. He dealt with drugs and killed people, didn't he?"

"Why don't you talk to Carlisle when he's back? Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Edward nodded, emptying his glass. "I'm going to pack and take Bella away from this crazy fuckery."

"Call me if you need anything. I'd tell you to come with me to your grandparents but it's probably too much."

"Way too much."

He rushed upstairs where Bella was packing for both of them.

"It's not just you. Your whole family is crazy."

"Apparently, I'm the most sane. I'll tell you everything, I promise. You'll probably be on the first plane back home, away from the madness."

"Right now, I think you're right. Come on. What else do we need?" She stepped away from the bag, biting her lip.

"A change of clothes, toothbrushes and…chargers for phones and laptops. I think."

"All that is in."

"Good. Let's go." He zipped the bag and threw the strap over his shoulder. "Oh, and this." He grabbed the car's key.

Bounding down the stairs, Edward stopped abruptly when he found his mother in the doorway.

"You were leaving without saying goodbye?" She asked reproachfully. "Here." Esme cupped his face and kissed him soundly. Twice. "I love you, Edward."

He sagged and hugged her tightly. "Love you too, Mom. Be careful."

"You too." She turned to hug Bella.

Edward opened the garage door and walked to Betty. Opening the trunk, he threw the bag there then slid behind the wheel. Being back in his car was bittersweet. He's missed her so much.

Bella opened the passenger's door and got in, whistling. "Nice ride."

He chuckled. "Seatbelt, please. God, I missed her." He stroked the dashboard. Taking a deep breath, Edward turned the key in the engine and shifting it into gear, they rolled out of the garage. Hearing Betty's purr relaxed him and made him put away the recent events. "Don't touch anything," he warned Bella as she stretched her arm to the radio. "I don't think it's working. I'll have to check. Another time."

Bella folded her hands in her lap. Seeing her in jeans and boots, reminded Edward that he hadn't changed out his dress clothes. It seemed insignificant compared to what he'd learned.

The ride to Jasper's was spent in silence. Bella kept thinking of what kinds of stuff Edward's father could be involved, and Edward basked in the pleasure of hearing Betty purring, taking away all bad thoughts.

Jasper's garage, conveniently across the apartment building he was living in was closed. It was early evening, which made him wonder why the doors were closed. Though looking at the neon letters above the doors made him smile—like always.

**Cars got Jazz**

And scrawled over the metal doors in graffiti was written:

**Who you got?**

"Is that his garage?" Bella asked, stifling a smile.

"He's got a wicked sense of humor," Edward answered, grinning. He parked in front of the garage so he could see his car from Jasper's window. He truly loved her.

They made their way across the boulevard and toward the metal door. Edward quickly pushed some numbers in the device next to the door.

"Yeah?" a small voice came through the speaker.

"It's me. Edward." He grinned big, squeezing Bella's hand.

A loud squeal came from the speaker then the buzzer sound as the door opened. Edward went to the elevator, allowing Bella inside first.

"Is this thing safe?" she whispered, fear constricting at her insides.

"Yeah." Edward closed the doors, pushed the button for the fifth floor and stepped back tapping his foot. "You'll like Alice."

"You keep saying that."

"She needs a girlfriend. She only has Jazz and me. Kids at school mock her." He pursed his lips.

"Is there something wrong?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"Wrong? She's kinda… Well, I'll let you discover. You won't judge."

Bella couldn't wait to meet this Alice. Jasper had spoken highly of her, but then again he was her boyfriend. He might be biased. Just like Edward, who was her best friend.

They came to a halt and Edward opened the doors. They only had time to step out of the elevator when Alice zoomed out the apartment and into Edward's arms. She was clinging to him like a human koala, kissing all over his face, telling him how much she'd missed him. Then suddenly she stopped, her eyes finding Bella standing awkwardly behind them.

"You must be Bella! I heard so much about you!"

Bella giggled nervously. "Yeah me too, about you." She didn't flinch when Edward put Alice down. She was on the small side with short, chopped dark her and huge blue eyes. Bella was short herself, not like Alice but she knew all about how it was to be mocked about her height. "Nice to meet you."

Alice beamed at her, shaking hands. "Come in. Jazz's in the shower."

"Why's the garage closed?"

"Pete's got the flu and Jazz well…he wanted to be here and greet you."

They went inside the smallish apartment. Bella immediately felt the homey feeling it represented to its inhabitants. The small kitchen had a cluster of dishes on the counter and table. The living room floor was scattered with magazines, the small TV was running on a news channel, there were pictures everywhere with Jasper and Alice, some with Edward too.

"I like it," Bella told Alice.

"I'm a horrible host. It's a mess! Do you want coffee or something?" she asked, going to the kitchen.

"Coffee?" Edward scoffed, toeing his shoes off and making himself comfortable on the couch. "Don't you have a beer?"

"That's my beer!" Jasper's amused voice floated in the room. He looked freshly showered, wearing a pair of black flannel pants, a towel around his neck, his blond hair dripping. "Heya, Bella!"

"Hi." She waved awkwardly.

"Share your beer, man," Edward pleaded with him, tilting his head over the back of the couch to look at his friend. "Please. Emmett kept me away from alcohol."

"With good reason too." Jasper smirked.

"Are you joking? I want a drink. We used to drink beer since I was sixteen."

"Fine, keep your hair on. But you're not driving back."

"I'm not. Can we crash here? My parents kicked us out."

"Edward!" Bella admonished him. "They had trouble with…something." She shrugged.

"Something?" Jasper asked confused, bringing two beers. "Sit somewhere, Bella. Anywhere." He offered Edward one bottle. "So what's up?"

"Dad's in trouble. You were always right about his business behind the pizzeria."

"So the Five-O's got him?" Jasper looked worried.

"Nah. I hope not." Edward shrugged. "Shit. I've been blissfully unaware of all this! He took me places where he'd leave me in the car and he'd go in…dubious places…fuck."

Bella, more confused than before, went to Alice who was working on fixing cocktails for them. She was rather surprised, but didn't object when she was offered a red glass.

"Any idea what they're talking about?" she asked Alice, leaning against the counter.

"Edward's father's business." She waved her hand about. "Tell me about you."

Alice led Bella to her bedroom where the mess was bigger. For a brief moment, Bella wondered if sitting on the bed was safe. She'd never seen such mess in a house. Alice flopped on her back on the bed.

"So you're going to Edward's school now? I'm thinking of dropping out."

"Uh, I don't know." Bella mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Alice rolled on her side, searching on the nightstand for something. "You smoke?" She held up a packet of cigarettes.

"No." The last time Bella tried, she didn't like it, and James nearly bust a vein.

"You're so quiet," Alice mused, lighting her smoke. "I see why Edward likes you."

Bella blushed, and took a sip from her glass nearly spitting it back. "Did you put any juice in this, at all?"

"Some. I like it strong."

As she stared at the girl sprawled on the bed, smoking and sucking on the straw of her drink, Bella wondered how could Edward think she'd befriend her. They were total opposites.

"ARE YOU STUPID?"

Both girls jumped, startled at Jasper's loud voice. Sharing a look, they quickly rushed toward the living room, but Alice stopped Bella at the door, pressing her finger to her lips.

"I have to, dude!" Edward hissed.

"You don't."

"I do! You know what will happen if I don't compete. And as angry as I'm with Jake, I'd hate anything happening to him or the others. I have to go back and be done with this madness."

"No." Jasper had a hold of Edward's shirt. They were almost nose to nose. "I will personally kill you."

"Not too long ago you and I made a great team in racing. Please, I have to do this."

Bella's heart was in her throat. He wanted to compete. She still had no idea what could happen if he said no. What was the big deal?

Suddenly Jasper turned his head to the doorway, glaring. "Ally, for Christ's sake, you're a horrible spy."

The girls stepped into the living room.

Edward looked horrified to Bella, as Jasper pulled Alice close. He nodded to Edward.

"Fine, if you must. But we'll do it the right way. Once whatever happened at De Marco's is cleared, you're having a family meeting and you're telling them everything. You're going to win that race and hopefully, the police will never find out or else you're busted for good, man."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Edward and his friends spent the night catching up and having fun, trying not to think of his father's business. They had fallen asleep on Alice and Jasper's bed in the early hours of the morning, exhausted.

The bed was too small for all four of them, and despite the boys' snoring, Bella's mumbling and Alice's kicking, they all slept well.

The ringing of a cell phone was their brutal wake-up call at only ten in the morning.

Edward grabbed his phone, fumbling with it before pressing the right key to answer. "Yeah?"

"You need to come home," Emmett told him seriously.

"Something wrong?" Edward asked. Worry ate at him. "Is Dad okay? Mom?"

"Yes, yes. You can bring Jasper, too."

"Oh, okay. See you soon."

"You have to go back?" Jasper slurred out, yawning loudly.

"And take you with me. Em wants to talk."

"I've done nothing."

"Dunno what he wants." Edward shrugged, rolling on his side and brushing the hair out of Bella's face. "Hey, we need to wake up."

"I'm awake, but too tired to open my eyes," she mumbled.

Edward grinned, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Come on, I have a feeling it's going to be a long day."

She blinked her eyes open, looking at him sleepily. Slowly she traced his jaw, smiling. "You need a shave."

"Later." He pecked her mouth before sliding out of the bed. "Jazz, don't go back to sleep."

They went through their morning routine moving in slow motion. Only after the first sip of coffee—courtesy of Alice—they started resembling humans. Alice seemed to be the only one fully awake when they left through the door one hour later. It didn't take much persuading from her to have Jasper throw his car key at her, but not without warning her not to speed.

She immediately took Bella's hand and continued chatting animatedly about Christmas shopping. Edward shrugged apologetically to his girlfriend as he crossed the street to his car. The girls went to Jasper's car while the boys slipped into Betty.

"You going to tell them what we established last night?" Jasper asked curiously.

"I kind of already told Mom, so yeah. I'll tell them, and explain what happens if I don't participate. I'm terrified."

"Don't worry. Tell them to keep an open mind. I'll be there."

Edward glanced at his friend and threw him a small, nervous smile.

"Since Ally mentioned Christmas…do you have any idea what you're getting Bella?" Jasper wondered, looking through the side mirror at his car, behind them.

"No. She's my first girlfriend. You tell me."

"I usually go with Ally to the mall and buy her whatever she wants. There's also the surprise gift…which is something insignificant. Last year it was a pair of panties since I ruined her favorites."

"Dude, I don't need to know that." Edward felt sick.

"Just giving you ideas."

"It's not like that," Edward muttered. "We haven't," he blurted out, concentrating on driving.

"You haven't what?"

"You know," he said pointedly. "Fucked."

Jasper stared bemused at his friend. "Where's the catch? Is she Catholic or something?"

"We just haven't, Jazz. She's special…and she's not ready."

"Not ready? Hold on…you mean she's a virgin? Man!"

"Jasper!" Edward hissed, annoyed.

"I didn't say anything. Wow. You're waiting for a girl. Let me take a moment and let that thought sink in."

"It's pure torture," Edward said after some minutes. "But I think…" He bit his lips, glancing at his friend. "I'm falling for her, man."

Instead of joking at him, Jasper nodded solemnly. "It was just fun in the beginning with Alice, but since she moved in… Things got serious and simply waking up to finding her there..." He sighed loudly. "Dude, we're turning into pussies."

"Say…if I am going to do what I have in mind…for Bella's Christmas present…would you help me with money?"

"I bet your dad will help, but yeah, I'll do it."

"Good because Dad wouldn't give me the money to go for a night in a hotel to be alone with my girl. I don't want to do _that_ …for her first time in my bed with my parents in the house, and especially where I had others before her."

"Spoken like a true love-sick pup."

"Shut up, Jazz."

They parked in front of the Cullens' house. As they got out of the car, Alice parked behind them and opened the door, beaming at Jasper.

"I love driving your car."

"I'm jealous," Edward mumbled, taking Bella's hand when she joined them. "You got to ride in the Mitsubishi."

"Betty is better."

He gave her a big grin before dipping down to kiss her. She liked his car.

The front door of the house opened and Esme appeared there leaning against the jamb. She waved the group closer. When Edward approached, she wrapped her arms around him, whispering to him that everything was under control. He relaxed, unaware he'd been tense up until that moment.

"Your father is really upset," she whispered into his ear.

"Problems with…you know?" Edward asked.

"Problems with his son."

Edward frowned, not getting it.

Once the group took their shoes and coats off, Esme ushered them to the living room. Carlisle was leaning against the mantle, tapping his foot. Emmett and Rose were on the couch holding hands and talking quietly. And to Edward and Bella's surprise James was in an armchair looking enraged.

"Jimmy," Bella squeaked out, dropping Edward's hand. Tentatively, she walked to her brother and leaned down to give him a hug. "What's up? Why are you here?"

"Were you going to lie so nonchalantly to me?" Carlisle thundered, approaching Edward and pushing a file in front of his face. " _I won't race, Dad_. And to think I even believed you!"

"What…" Edward had no idea what was going on. Then he realized what file his father was holding. "Oh, shit."

" _Oh, shit_ sums it up perfectly, son."

"Dad, look. Let me explain."

"Give me one good reason not to do something I will definitely regret and call the Judge."

Sweat trickled down the teenager's back. "Uh." He glanced at Jasper, who nodded solemnly. It was time to face the music. "I swear to you I didn't have in mind to compete when I repaired the car for Jake. I knew that was his intention," Edward explained, meeting James's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"But? Why the sudden change of heart? Is it the prize? It's a hefty amount." Carlisle looked through the file, before turning his glaring eyes to his son. "What is it? Explain, because I can't seem to understand. The money? The adrenaline? The love to disobey me?"

"Dad, it's not like that."

"Jake gave me the file to give it to Edward. I thought it was a mistake," Bella blurted out from her spot perched on the arm of James's seat. "He had no idea until two nights ago. He was really shocked when I told him."

"So you know about him racing?" James asked, surprised.

"Yes, Jimmy. And I also believe and trust Edward when he says he'd never do it again."

Edward raised a finger, feeling his legs shaking. "I have to compete now that my name is there. He probably gave the others my info…"

"You don't have to—" Emmett stood up, narrowing his eyes at his cousin.

"I have to! You don't understand how this works! If I don't show up…the other gang will track my, er…Jake's gang. It won't be pretty. I don't want anyone hurt."

"He's right, sir," Jasper butted in, stepping closer to his best friend. "Unfortunately, being the leader of such a gang…I can attest to that. I had no idea of this unspoken rule until one of my drivers couldn't compete because he had a stomach bug, and I didn't have anyone as good as him for that type of race." As he spoke, his eyes were on Emmett, fearful of what he was bringing upon himself. "Not even a week after that their leader came over with five others armed to their teeth. They turned my garage upside down, got most of my money, trashed the cars I was working on and…even injured one of my mechanics who was a simple employee, not involved in that shit."

Everyone stared open-mouthed at him, except Edward who knew the story. He still remembered his shock upon seeing his friend's garage when he was done with school for that day.

Esme stared in horror at Jasper before rushing to her son and hugging him tightly.

"Can't someone else compete instead of you?" Emmett wondered.

"No," Edward mumbled, squeezing his mom in his arms. "I'll be fine. I know my way with a car."

"And if you say you didn't get the file?" Carlisle questioned him.

Edward stiffened. "I can't. He gave it to Bella on purpose, knowing that I had to accept it…coming from her."

"What do you mean? Is B in danger?" James thundered, fisting his hands.

"Not unless I respect the rules." Edward hung his head in shame. "I'm so sorry."

Esme walked him to the couch and sat next to him, her arms still tightly wound around him. Jasper and Alice took the other armchair. Carlisle started pacing.

"I have an idea," Emmett said softly, looking around the room.

"You're not competing under my name!" Edward hissed.

"That's not what I meant, though it's a good idea. What I wanted to say is… First, do you have any information on the rival gang? And since James had his eyes on catching them…maybe we can work on something."

"Infiltrate him in there and make sure he wins everything?" James asked, considering the idea.

"No!" Bella spat. "If something happens to Edward…like it did with Brady… NO!"

"It won't. Bella, I've been racing for a couple years. I know what I'm doing."

Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing the spot. "I can't believe we're having this conversation."

"It's the only way to get them. These guys put my partner in a coma," James said seriously.

"And you want to use my son as bait?" Esme shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"He offered, besides as he said, there's nothing we can do. I can assure you we'll keep him as safe as possible."

"What kind of race is this?" Jasper asked, extending his hand to Carlisle to get the papers.

"Drag race," Edward mumbled.

"Oh, easy." They shared a grin.

Edward stood up. "On January forth is the first round, then the next day is the finale close to midnight. What do you want me to do? Besides winning. That's the easy part." He fixated Emmett and James with his eyes.

"It's winter." Esme looked at him pleadingly.

"It rarely snows in Arizona," James said dismissively. "Let us find a plan. In the meantime, you need to talk to that Black kid and pray he didn't send this forward. I want you there under a nickname."

"I have one," Edward said. "I'll talk to him. That can be changed even if he sent it already."

"What nickname? Troublemaker?" James joked, lightening the mood in the room.

Catching Bella's eyes, Edward swallowed thickly. "Speedy."

"Fitting name," his father commented with a scowl. "I'm not happy about this, but after the scare from yesterday, my guys are itching for some action. If the police needs help…" He trailed off, looking at Emmett.

"Thanks, Uncle C. Cous, go and talk to your friend. I'll try to make a plan with James," Emmett ordered.

That seemed to be the end of the tense conversation.

Esme left the room with Rosalie, but not before kissing her son's forehead fondly. Carlisle offered his study to Emmett James, following them in there.

"Come on. I need to talk to that bastard," Edward urged his friends to follow him up the stairs. "It's going to be alright," he whispered to Bella, holding her hand all the way upstairs.

"I can't let you do this. I know what happened to Brady."

"I don't want to insult your friend, Bella, but…I'd like to think I know more about racing than him. I can count on my fingers—from one hand—the times I lost in over one year. Please, have some faith in me."

"And when you lost…why did you lose?" she asked fearfully.

"Because he's a dickhead and he never listened to me to upgrade pieces of his car," Jasper muttered from behind them.

Edward closed the door of his room. "Besides that accident…I only had one other—in my very first race. The other car came too close to me and I freaked. I drove straight into a tree. Dad wasn't very pleased to see Betty towed and the state she was in."

"Wow. You never…had a real accident?" Bella whispered, feeling a little better. "I've seen you drive. Even at high speed you're in control."

"Yes."

"Okay, just don't kill yourself."

He beamed at her, kissing her passionately, forgetting about the others in the room. Until Jasper cleared his throat, giving them a raised eyebrow.

Bella, embarrassed, walked to the bed and sat there with Alice, whispering about what was going to happen. Edward grabbed his phone, glaring at Jasper who was making rude gestures implying he needed to get laid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Jake answered his phone promptly. "Ed, my man! How's Chicago?"

"Jake, you fucking imbecile!" Edward yelled.

"Whoa. Oh…"

"Oh, indeed. How could you give Bella that? Are you fucking insane? On that matter, how could you sign me up to that?"

"We discussed, man. You know tons more about racing than me. And now I know how."

"What?" Edward felt faint. Who could have told Jake? He slumped in his chair, biting the inside of his cheek.

"You know _what_ , Speedy." Jake's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Who? Jake, it's really… I never thought it was important to give you details on my life."

"Don't worry. When I went to sign myself in for the competition…there was this guy. He was impressed with my car and asked who took care of it. I explained to him, and when he asked about you, I gave him a brief description."

Edward felt sick. "And then you decided to sign me into that?"

"Well, it's only fair. You always lost when you competed against Ben Badass. Ring any bells? I thought with Mach One you'd win. I swear, it wasn't a jerk move…I mean, I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I thought I was helping you."

"Ben Badass?" Edward felt bile rising in his throat. Bella's head shot up and in that moment he realized that she knew of him. Ben was the one who put Brady in the hospital. Ben was the worst opponent out there—not only aggressive but very cunning and always with an ace up his sleeve.

"Jake," Edward said quietly. "Mach One needs much more than it already has. I need to come back and finish the job. Uh…also, could you send me the files unfilled? I'd like to compete as Speedy."

"Got it. Wait. You're competing!"

"That's what I said, you fuckwit! I'll call you about what you need to buy and the time we're coming back. There's more to this, I can't tell you over the phone."

Once he hung up, Edward turned to Jasper, telling him everything Mach One needed to make it perfect to compete against Ben's car. He had no idea what car the fucker would have, but he always managed to have a better one.

After discussing in detail everything, they commonly decided to put these dark thoughts aside and try to have a peaceful Christmas. It was only two days away.

When they emerged from his room, ready to hit the mall for last minute shopping, they were stopped by Esme. She insisted to feed them, and tried to talk more with her son about his future plan. He told her he didn't want to hear anything about the race until after Christmas. It was immature to ignore the problem, but he wished for a couple of days of normalcy.

Before leaving, Edward explained his plan on a quiet Christmas to his father, Emmett and James. They accepted his request. James handed his sister a badly wrapped box, telling her to open it on Christmas morning. He was leaving to spend the holiday with his girlfriend. As Bella hugged him, she whispered that he could invite Vicky to live with them, in Fredonia. She realized what was to love someone and the need to be around them.

The youngsters drove to the mall in two separate cars. This time Bella stayed with Edward, holding his hand as much as shifting the gear allowed them. James had given her some money, but she had no idea what she could buy him, and it would be nice and polite to get his parents something too. She was going to live there until summer if everything went well. She couldn't afford thinking of anything happening to her boyfriend. It would crush her.

"The stereo works," she noted delighted, suddenly hearing the beat of music.

"Yeah, Jazz gave me this CD."

"I like this song," she said, humming along with the singer.

"Bam Bam," Edward told her, grinning.

"Huh?"

"High Speed Chase by Bam Bam. It is on one of the Fast and Furious movies' soundtrack."

"Oh, that's why it was familiar."

Edward chuckled. "Glad I could educate you on that matter. I'm surprised you didn't see my true self sooner. I tried showing you trough movies."

"I told you, I suspected you…but I had no idea it was so bad."

He winked at her, stopping at a red light. Another song from the Fast and Furious movies soundtrack started. His eyes twinkled. "My favorite!" He upped the volume, tapping his fingers to his steering wheel.

 _DRAH! 2 Fast..._  
DRAH! 2 Furious...  
I'M TOO FAST FOR Y'ALL MAYN!

Bella gave him a look between amusement and awe. She'd never seen him so free and relaxed, nevermind singing.

As the light turned green, his phone vibrated. "Can you take this?" He gave Bella his phone.

"It's a text from Jasper. He's wondering what got into you."

Edward turned his head and waved toward the car next to him. "Tell him to roll his window down at the next red light."

It didn't take long until they stopped again. Edward leaned over his window. "Our song, Jazz. Hear out the best lines ever!" Edward upped the volume more just as his favorite part came.

 _With the pedal to the floor, radar in the GRILLE_  
TV in the middle of my STEERING WHEEL  
It's my car's birthday so we BLOWIN THEM CANDLES  
More speakers in the trunk than my ride can handle

Jasper started laughing, shaking his head. Looking back out the windshield at the empty road, Jasper raised an eyebrow at Edward. Despite knowing better, Edward nodded. The next stop was about two hundred feet away.

"Edward!" Bella said in a warning voice, realizing his intention.

He picked her hand from her lap and kissed the top of it. "You won't even know it happened. Besides, let me warm up."

Shifting the car into a lower gear, he rumbled the engine and the second the green light came on, he peeled off. His eyes narrowed on the lights showing green at the next intersection. He could hear Jasper's Mitsu catching up on him and suddenly he regretted not having his old Betty—the modified version. As he neared the intersection, Bella gripped the edge of her seat, staring wide-eyed ahead.

"It's yellow! It's yellow, Edward! DON'T!"

Adrenaline spiked his blood as he floored the gas flying through the yellow light. He pulled over next to a bookstore, pushing the hazard lights on, his eyes on the rear-view mirror. Jasper was stuck at the light.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Bella mumbled, rubbing her stomach.

He turned his eyes on his girlfriend. She was deadly white and looked like she had aged ten years.

"Oh, fuck. Bella, I'm an idiot."

She opened the door and promptly emptied her stomach on the sidewalk. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Edward left he car, rounding to her side and crouch in front of her, ignoring the acrid smell of vomit.

"Baby," he whispered, cupping her cheek.

"Didn't you see the cars coming from the other sides?" she moaned.

"I had time. Look. We're okay."

"I'm not." She was shaking like a leaf.

"Are you fucking nuts?" Jasper shouted from behind him, making Edward jump startled. As he turned to face his friend he noticed a crowd had gathered. They had probably seen him speed too. "Get back behind the wheel. We're still going to the mall, and if you go above forty miles per hour..."

"What? Why?"

Jasper silently pointed to Bella who had slumped in her seat. "Show's over," he muttered to the crowd, heading to his car.

"I'll drive slowly," Edward assured his girlfriend once he was back behind inside. "I really am sorry."

"I really hate speed. I'll probably stay under the covers, praying for you when you'll be competing."

He didn't say anything, though he hoped she'd be there cheering on him. His flavor of the week usually cheered on him in his previous races. Thought, he'd accept her reluctance, knowing what happened to Brady, and Bella's dislike of high speed.

When they arrived at the mall, Alice whisked Bella away, glaring murderously at Edward. He started walking aimlessly with Jasper at his side, hoping for something to catch his eye.

"Don't overthink this, man," Jasper groaned, exasperated. "Think of something she likes and doesn't have."

Edward glared at his best friend. "I bet she likes that too." He pointed to the bag in Jasper's hand, which was holding nice lingerie for Alice. "But we're not in that stage…and even if we were, I'd be mortified to get her something like that. I already know too much about your love live."

Rolling his eyes, Jasper led Edward through another area of the mall. "Music. Movies. Books. Even clothes. Whatever. Nail polish. Seriously, Edward. Girls aren't as complicated as you think. The smallest thing makes them happy."

"Come in here." Edward suddenly rushed into a store. He knew that Bella probably didn't own thicker pajamas. As he browsed, nothing catching his eye, the saleslady approached him.

"Can I help you?" she offered, smiling at him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm trying to find something nice and warm for my girlfriend." He sounded stupid. _Nice and warm?_ He cringed.

Jasper snickered beside him.

"For a teenager I recommend these." The lady took him to the other side of the store. Edward had to admit, these pajamas looked a lot better. "Do you know her size?"

"Nope. I guess…she's like you?" He eyed the woman confused. "Not sure, really."

"Definitely an eight," Jasper joined their conversation. When he got odd looks, he shrugged. "I live with Alice. I know this shit."

Between the three of them, Edward managed to select a coral one with a teddy bear on the front. Seeing the print, he immediately knew exactly what else Bella would love. After paying, he dragged a bewildered Jasper after him. It didn't take long to find a toy store.

"Dude, what are we doing here?"

"Buying a present. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. She loves stuffed toys. She has tons of them."

"Jesus. Are you joking, now?" Jasper scratched the back of his head.

"No. Either help me find something nice or go outside and wait on the bench."

His friend chose to wait on the bench, and also call the girls and tell them to meet in fifteen at the food court.

Edward felt lost in the sea of toys and fussy children, but he patiently inspected the plush animals, wanting to buy Bella something nice—something she didn't already have. Teddy bears, dogs and bunnies were overrated. Even panda bears were not the right things. As he dodged children whining to their parents about one toy or another, he finally found the right one. Making sure there was no kid around to step on, he rushed to the shelf and picked the medium sized white baby seal. He loved it, and it was soft and simply perfect for Bella.

At the cash register, the guy even offered him a paper bag for it. Thanking him, Edward left the store feeling happier.

"Done? What did you get?" Jasper jumped off the bench.

"A baby seal," Edward answered, grinning. He placed the bag with the pajama over the plush toy so Bella wouldn't see what he got her. "When are we meeting the girls?"

"In five at the food court."

"Good. Go ahead. I want to get something to Mom and Dad, oh, and Emmett and Rose… Fuck." Edward frowned, looking agitated. "Do you think I should get something for James, too?"

"Duuude!"

"What? Bella's my first girlfriend."

"True, but I'm not one to give you advice. Alice's parents hate me."

Edward sent Jasper ahead to meet the girls, promising to join them as soon as he was done freaking out. Shopping for his parents wasn't that difficult—he knew what they liked—a nice pen for his Dad, along with a chain for his glasses because he always lost them, and for his Mom an apron and mitten set with Christmas motifs. It wasn't much, but they'd love it. For Emmett and Rosalie, he decided to get them a house warming gift since they had just gotten married. For what he found, he needed more money so after a quick call to his father and explaining his intention, Carlisle wired more money to Edward's card telling him to sign the gift as The Cullens. That left James, but he was already too late so he decided to worry about it later.

His friends had already ordered when he joined them. Edward was glad to see Bella had bought him a hamburger and fries.

"Thanks," he whispered, leaning to kiss her cheek. "Got everything?"

"Barely. Just Jimmy and you left."

"Me?" His eyebrows shoot up. "What about the sweater?"

She turned pink, and studiously sucked from her Sprite. Edward decided to leave it be. "I didn't get your brother anything either."

"Why would you?"

"Because we're dating…and I think it's normal to do so…and I want to stay on his good side."

"Then let's brainstorm and get him something together—as a couple."

He beamed at her, taking a bite form his hamburger.

After eating, they separated once more, but this time Edward took Bella with him, and Jasper took Alice. As they wandered about looking for something to get James, Bella realized they should get something for Jake and the gang. The mere thought of more shopping and more money spent made Edward groan and think how much he hated this.

For James they settled on a framed award reading BEST COP IN ARIZONA STATE. Edward hoped he'd see the humor in that. As for their friends from the Reservation, they bought matching long sleeved shirts with a snowman printed on the front and on the back three puddles representing the melting of the snowman, or so Bella and Edward though. It was a funny idea. The only difference between all shirts was the color.

It was dark outside when they left the mall, but they were all content for buying what they had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

On Christmas Eve, Edward spent some quality time with his family. He couldn't remember the last time his father had been present for the movie marathons he had with his mother. That year it was even more special, having Bella tucked into his side. They shared memories, laughed and drank hot chocolate.

His plan on taking his girlfriend to a hotel had been dismissed by his father when Edward tentatively brought the idea to him. It turned out Jasper couldn't help either with how expensive the hotel room was that time of year. Carlisle had told his son he could spend the night at home, not worrying about them—the parents—because they were to attend a private party and wouldn't return until morning.

Around ten that night, Esme and Carlisle bid the teens goodnight, giving them the usual speech about staying out of trouble before they left.

With them gone, Edward felt the charge between him and Bella—something he'd missed. He hadn't had time to be alone with her ever since they came from Fredonia. After he locked the door, Edward turned to face his girlfriend.

"Alone," he murmured, cupping her cheek.

"Alone," she echoed him shyly.

He shuffled closer and put both his hands on her face, tilting her head to look into her beautiful brown eyes. She stared at him with her mouth slightly open, waiting for his next move.

Licking his suddenly dry lips, Edward bent his head, kissing hers softly. He kept the slow massage on her lips, his fingers tangling in her hair until he got the courage he needed. He pulled away a fraction, gulping thickly.

"I never felt like this," he said quietly.

"Me either. I never thought I'd find someone as special as you." She stroked his stubbly cheek.

"My room." Edward took her hand and led her upstairs. Bella noticed his hand was clammy, and relaxed knowing she wasn't the only nervous one.

Once in his room, Edward closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed. Bella sat next to him, taking his hand again. He gave her a shy smile.

"I'm not good at this," he told her seriously. "I want to make it sound special and shit, but… uh, I doubt curse words fit in a declaration of love. I'm such a moron."

"I feel it too."

He found her eyes and sighed in relief. Staring at her in that moment made all his worries evaporate.

"I love you, Bella," he said quickly, never taking his eyes away from her.

Bella's heart doubled in speed at the sound of his beautiful voice uttering these precious words. "Oh, Edward!" She flung herself at him, knocking him backwards on the mattress. "I love you, too," she answered, kissing along his jaw. "So much."

He grinned like a lunatic, rolling her on her back and kissing her deeply, pouring all his emotions into that gesture. They shared many kisses as their hands explored the other's body, until Bella dared to sneak her hands under Edward's shirt and drag her nails across his back. He moaned and arched his back.

"I'm ready for more."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Edward. Please."

He tried to slowly undress her and make it special but in the end Bella was the one who took charge and made quick work of their clothes, throwing them on the floor. Deciding to touch all the bases before going for the home run, Edward started with getting closely acquainted with his girlfriend's breasts. They were a little more than a handful and just perfect, responsive to his touch and so soft he couldn't stop nuzzling around them before taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking lightly. Bella sat up on the bed, pressing his head to her tit, loving the feeling he had evoked with that simple gesture. It seemed a wire connected her breasts with her bundle of nerves. Heat engulfed her lower stomach when Edward cupped her sex and slowly touched one of his long fingers to her wetness.

"It feels so good."

"I know, baby." Edward kissed down her stomach, only stopping when he reached the apex of her thighs. He stared in awe at the hair he found there. The girls he'd been with had been bare. Slowly, he parted her legs further then nudged her folds with his nose, inhaling deeply. "Fuck, Bella."

"What are you doing?" She squeaked, making to close her legs, but it was impossible with him nestled between them. "Edward…"

"Shh. Relax. Lie back down."

Once she was horizontal again, Edward gave her an experimentative lick. Bella arched off the bed, but he held her hips down as he dived for her nectar. She kept thrashing around, shaking her head, trying to stop him, but he went on until she shouted his name and slumped lifelessly into the soft mattress.

Gazing at her glowing like that, he couldn't wait much longer. Lunging for his nightstand, he grabbed the box of condoms he had bought on his trip to the mall and took one foil out. When he turned his head he found Bella staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

"What?" he asked, self-conscious, playing with the foil between his fingers. "Bella?"

"That has to fit inside of me?" She pointed to his hard dick, her large eyes never wavering from said part of his body.

"We talked about this before. Remember?"

"But…is it going to hurt?" She finally found his eyes as he chewed on her bottom lip.

"Only a little. I think." He shrugged. "I apologize in advance."

"I'm not sure." Bella dropped her eyes, sitting up and propping her back against the headboard, bringing her knees under her chin.

"Uh, you know that you…" He made a motion of his palms as if growing big. "There…" He pointed to her pussy. "It stretches and it's soft and slippery. It won't hurt that much."

Bella giggled against her better judgment. "If you haven't decided on a career, I have one you should rule out—Sex Ed teacher. You're horrible at this."

"Hey, don't be mean! Look." He took her hand. "Open your legs. Come on, I'll show you."

Bella put her hand in his and he grasped her middle finger guiding it to her entrance. He kept a strong grip on her hand when she made to jerk away. Slowly, he inserted her finger into her, trying not to think that she was touching herself because he wouldn't last. He'd probably explode all over the bedding.

"Oh." Her round eyes found his.

"Now, add another finger."

She did as told, shivering and throwing her head back.

"Fuck." Quickly, Edward tore the foil open and covered his dick with the condom, never taking his eyes off the sight in front of him. "I can't," he gasped, pulled on Bella's ankles until her back was once again against the mattress and her ass on his lap. "I will try not to hurt you, though I have no idea how."

"Leah said you should do it quickly. Sam tried not to hurt her too badly and went slowly…it _was_ bad."

Edward nodded, not really interested at the moment in his friends' first time, though the distraction was all he needed to gather his wits. Leaning over her body, he kissed her lovingly, guiding his dick towards her entrance. _Maybe kissing her would take her mind off the pain,_ he thought worriedly.

His eyes closed in pleasure as the tip of his dick entered her tight and warm pussy only slightly. A part of his brain told him to look at her and gauge her expression, but he wasn't sure he could last if he looked at her beautiful face.

Bella shifted her hips making him slip further until he felt something he'd never felt before—her barrier. His eyes sprung open. She was watching him warily. He took her hands and intertwined their fingers, placing them on either side of her head before pulling out a little and while keeping his mouth firmly pressed on hers, he slammed into her. They both shouted—one in agonizing pleasure, one in agonizing pain.

Minutes ticked by until her inner muscles slowly stopped pulsing and got accustomed with the intrusion.

Edward licked one salty trail of tear, and never looking away he started moving ever so gently. Bella's eyes widened further and she gasped. The pain was subsiding, pleasure taking its place. Her hands found his back and she clung to him as he kept the slow rhythm.

"Quicker?" she breathed in question.

"Next time," he rasped out, closing his eyes and letting his forehead fall on hers.

It wasn't like he could last longer than he already had. When she raked her fingers down his back, he knew that it was too much for him. On his next push, he stilled his hips and came with a loud grunt, his body falling on top of Bella.

"Sorry," he mumbled, nuzzling her neck.

"That was…perfect."

"You didn't come," he mumbled again.

"Don't ruin the moment." Bella sighed happily, squeezing him tightly in her arms. "I love you." A sob erupted from her throat. "Oh, Edward."

"Why are you crying? Did I hurt you?" he asked, alarmed, sitting up. He cringed at the splotches of blood on the bed sheet. "Bella, tell me."

"I'm just…so _happy_!"

"And you're crying cuz you're happy?"

"Yes!"

He ran a hand through his hair, falling next to her. Turning to stare at her, he mumbled, "Girls are so weird."

"Oh, shush, you!" She gently slapped his shoulder. "You're perfect."

"You've got to rethink that one."

"Well, you've had your bad moments…" she averted, giggling.

Yawning loudly, Edward brought the blanket over them. "Let's sleep for a while."

"Tired?"

"Uh yeah. Aren't you?"

"I'm hungry. I feel so…invigorated."

He laughed loudly. "Sex is not good for you."

"Oh, you idiot!" Bella whacked him in the head with one pillow. "I'm going to steal candy from the tree."

Edward didn't make a move to stop her from leaving the bed. He stared at his girlfriend with a light smile on his face, which only got brighter when she stole the shirt he had worn at Emmett's wedding and slipped it on her.

Giggling and blushing Bella turned to look at him. "I always wanted to wear a man's shirt…naked otherwise."

"Go eat candy before I forget about sleep and take you against the desk."

Her eyes widened with eagerness. "Who needs candy? Or sleep?"

"Bella, you must be sore. Go. Don't tempt me."

"Tease." She grabbed her panties from the floor, but instead of slipping them on, she balled them in her hand and threw them at Edward.

He laughed buoyantly, smelling them and cuddling with them under the blanket.

"Creep!" she hissed, still giggling as she left the room.

"Take a hot bath! We have to do this again. Soon!" Edward called after her before closing his eyes and settling for a short nap.

He dreamt of the amazing girl he was dating, and of the great moments they had just shared. He was one lucky guy to have found such an amazing person as Bella.

A loud noise woke him from his nice dream. Edward stretched on his bed, straining his hearing. Maybe his parents were back, though he knew they usually returned with the sunrise from these events.

"Bella?" he shouted, sitting up. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you up!" she shouted back.

Sighing in relief, Edward fell back against the bed. He became aware of the sound of water running. Smiling at the thought of a naked Bella, he rolled out of the bed. Since he was headed to the bathroom, he also stripped the bed.

Edward stopped in his bathroom's doorway, grinning. Bella was in the tub, slouched so low only her head was visible, resting against the wall behind her. He noticed his shampoo and shower gel bottles were on the floor.

 _Oh, that must be what woke me up_. He frowned seeing her own products having taken the place of his. Dumping the bed sheet in the hamper, he collected his bottles and put them next to hers. The sound made her jerk and stare at him with wide eyes.

"Hi." A slow smile spread on her lips, before she licked them staring at him with hungry eyes. "Join me?"

Edward looked down at his nakedness, and tried to hide his sudden shyness. He should have known his body wouldn't be sated after only one sex round, not having had any action for months.

"What had my things done wrong?" he asked, stepping into the tub next to her.

"They were in the way," she joked. When he narrowed his eyes at her, splashing water at her face, Bella changed her answer. "Okay, I knocked them down by mistake."

"Better." He smirked, relaxing against the other side of the tub. "This is too small for two people."

"It's bigger than mine," she said quietly. She nudged his hip with her toes. "You didn't tell me how…rich you are."

A sour look appeared on his face. "I don't talk about that, Bella." He gulped thickly. "As I just learned a few days ago, it's all dirty money. I don't even know if Dad really is a lawyer. You see…" Edward absentmindedly traced a finger over her calf. "He's part of the…mob."

"Mob?" Bella frowned, looking at him confused.

He gave her an amused look. "The mafia."

"What?" she shrieked. "For real?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I knew that…for years. At first, I suspected it, then I found evidence in his study…and wanted to join. I got sent to a private school so I'd get an education and not became a common criminal. I rebelled against him. And the thing that I learned about on Emmett's wedding day…" Edward trailed off, staring at Bella's pink toenails, not at her stunned face. "The police had raided the pizzeria. That place was my favorite growing up. Little did I know what took place upstairs."

"Oh, shit. Uh, when you say mafia…" she said in a small voice.

"I mean exactly that—crimes, drug-trafficking, loan-sharking, fraud…and of course, omertà."

"Omer…what?"

Edward chuckled darkly. "Omertà—the code of silence. That was the first thing Dad told me about when I snooped too deep in his shit."

"Wow. I need a minute."

"I want the same from you. Don't tell anyone about this, please. I don't even know why I told you…I guess I trust you and…I can't keep secrets from you." He shrugged.

"I beg to differ." Bella dug her toes into his side making him stiffen and bark a laugh. "Ticklish?"

"Don't you dare!"

She shook her head. If it were any other time, she'd probably have taken full advantage of his ticklish nature. But not at the moment, not after what she'd just learned.

"So…" Edward said after many minutes passed in silence and the water chilled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm in shock."

He frowned, confused. "Uh, why?" He only wanted to know how she felt after last night.

"Why?" Bella looked at him incredulously. "I just learned that your father is part of this…what did you call it? _Web_? Uh…and he's dangerous."

"Oh, Bella." Edward crawled to her side of the tub and hugged her tightly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I'm so sorry." He rubbed her back, not sure what to do. "Dad's a good man."

"That's what I thought too, but he had his moments…when he scared me. Like yesterday when he shouted at you."

"I kinda deserved that. And I think it was payback…snooping through my things just like I had done to him years ago."

"He doesn't trust you."

" _I_ don't trust myself. I don't know who I am anymore. I want to change my ways…but my past keeps coming up and ruining my plans. I only want this fucking race out of the way and to be over with it."

"I'll probably die a thousand deaths while you'll be racing."

"I'll be fine," he promised, though he knew it didn't hold much meaning. He had to race Ben Badass—every racer's enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Christmas euphoria had come and gone. Presents had been shared, egg nog had been drunk and many happy times had been stored to memory.

On the plane back to Bella's house, Edward kept picturing the huge smile that had formed on his girlfriend's face when she saw his presents for her—especially the baby seal. She'd got him a small collection car—the perfect replica of Betty. After that perfect gift, he even found humor in the shirt he got from his father—white with navy stripes, making it look like a prisoner's uniform. Carlisle had insisted he didn't even think of the connotation, but Edward knew better.

At the moment, he was pouring over the additional components Mach One needed to win a race against Ben. Jasper was next to him, browsing the Internet for parts. He had his phone under the blanket which was situated on his knees. Every time the flight attendant passed them he threw him a smile, pretending to be in deep conversation with Edward.

"If you keep this up, the guy will think you have a boner for him." Edward pointed to Jasper's lap where the phone was creating a tent.

"Oh!" Jasper burst out laughing.

"Shh! Bella's sleeping, you idiot." She was cuddled into his side, hugging her new favorite toy, as she used it as a pillow.

"I didn't even get to ask you what with everything going on… Did you get her to the hotel?"

"No." Edward shook his head, looking at the notebook in his lap, writing down another piece they'd need. "My parents went to a party. We had the house to ourselves."

"Sweet. So you did it?"

"Yep."

"Yep?" Jasper echoed his friend. "You don't sound happy."

Edward glanced at him. "I royally fucked-up after the first time. I told her about Dad."

"Way to go, man! You get a prize for being such an idiot. What did Bella do?"

"She was in shock for hours. And in the morning, when she saw Dad she kept giving him odd looks. It didn't go unnoticed. After we unwrapped the presents, she forgot about his career choice—thanks to my baby seal. But Dad took me into his office later. He's quite mad I confided in her, but I trust Bella."

Jasper was trying very hard not to laugh. "Your baby seal? That's what you call you dick?"

"The baby seal!" Edward hissed, half-annoyed, half-exasperated, pointing at the plush toy in his girlfriend's arms.

"Oh, here I thought you had code names for your dick."

"Why would I name my dick after a fluffy polar animal? Are you nuts, Jasper?"

"Just wondering."

"If it's so important to you, it's Big Tony." He was mortified for having admitted such an intimate thing to his best friend.

"Now, that's a cool name. Mine was Little Jay until Alice decided to rename it—Twitchy Thing."

Edward chuckled, pressing his hand to his mouth trying to mask his laughter. "Little Jay?"

" _I_ am Big Jay…so yeah…it was stupid. So Tony after…Anthony? Your middle name?"

"Yeah. Twitchy Thing. That's so funny!"

"Edward, I didn't laugh at you."

"You know I can hear you, right?" Bella wondered in a soft voice making both boys freeze.

"How much did you hear?" Edward whispered, peering down at her.

"I know too much—enough to give me _twitchy_ nightmares." She met Jasper's eye, giggling. Her eyes fell on his lap and she blushed furiously.

"Oh, this." Jasper recovered quickly, diving under the blanket for his phone. He switched it off, smirking at Bella's astonished face. "We'll finish this when we land. I want to see her."

"We'll go to Jake's later," Edward promised. "You know cars better so…I think it will be easier if you see her first."

When they landed in Flagstaff, they were surprised by the welcoming party. James was there, along with his stunning red-head girlfriend, and Jake.

"That's Vicky," Bella said in disbelief. "Oh, no."

"Well, you told him to bring her home."

"I didn't think I'll have to live there again. I mean…once this semester is over I'd return but not for long."

"Baby sis!" James gave his sister a big hug, kissing her head. "Good to have you back."

"Hey." Edward gave James an awkward half wave. "You remember Jasper, my friend. He's here to help with Mach One."

The actual name of the car had stuck. It made her sound powerful in Edward's head. And it rhymed with No Match.

"Hello, Jasper." James shook hands with the young man, before stepping back and hugging his girlfriend to his side. "This is Victoria, my girlfriend."

Everyone greeted her, and while Bella was scowling at her, Edward introduced Jasper to Jake.

"I didn't expect you here. How did you get here?" Edward questioned, unsure how they'd all fit back in the cruiser for the drive back.

"I took her for a breather." Jake grinned, dangling the Ford's key in front of his friend.

Edward snatched it, his eyes lighting up. "You brought her here?"

"Yup. Thought you'd like to drive back and well…get accustomed."

"You're the best, buddy!" He patted Jake's back, turning to share a big smile with Jasper.

"What got you so happy?" Bella asked, appearing next to them. "Oh." She saw the key in her boyfriend's hand.

"Ready for the best ride of your life? No, wait. Second best. Nothing compares to Betty."

"I'd rather skip," she mumbled. "Even though I have to suffer being stuck in a car with Vicky, I'll take that over your driving skills."

"Aw, how you wound me. Well, I'll take Jazz. Do you mind, Jake?"

"Nah. I want to catch up with Bells and keep her distracted from the evil one." Jake nodded to Vicky who was currently being gross with James—public displays of affection should be illegal.

"Jimmy, let's go!" Bella snapped at him, making him part from his girlfriend.

Outside, Jasper whistled loudly seeing the vehicle for the first time. Edward was muttering to him about James being lucky to drive a Charger, but it didn't seem to matter for Jasper, who was salivating over Mach One.

"Okay, kids. Ready to roll? Just to keep you tempered, I'm going to put the speed gun to good use." James threw Edward a warning look.

"I need to get used to the car. I swear not to go over sixty. Is that okay with you?"

"Fine, but I want you to be constantly in my line of view—ahead or behind me. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." He bobbed his head, walking to the car.

Bella rushed to him before he could slip inside and hugged him tightly. "Be careful."

"Will do." Edward kissed her quickly, mindful of her gun-totting brother hovering. "See you home."

Until they hit the highway, Edward drove under the speed limit, chatting with Jasper and listening to the CD his friend inserted in the player. The songs altered from rock to hip-hop, all of them perfect for speeding.

When they were on US 89 Route the empty road called for him, and his foot pressed on the acceleration pedal. Jasper immediately put his seatbelt, having not strapped it when he got in the car.

Edward had promised not to go too fast, but the deserted road lured him to see what Mach could do. Suddenly, police sirens blared from behind him and James's voice came over the loudspeaker. "Slow down or you'll get in trouble!"

"Shit," Edward muttered, slowing considerably.

James caught up with him, driving parallel. The passenger window of the cruiser was down and James gestured for him to watch it.

"You do know that overtaking a car is illegal if these two yellow markings are on the asphalt? You're the cop! And you are driving on the opposite lane. How many traffic laws are you breaking, _officer_?"

James scowled at the teenager, swerving to drive in front of him, imposing a fifty miles per hour speed.

It didn't take long for Edward to get bored of the slow speed, but Japer who seemed to have become a saint overnight, kept him guarded. They had a break at a gas station because Bella made her brother stop so she could go pee. She'd been afraid to go to the toilet on the plane, which Edward found funny. But it had been Jasper's fault for telling her that piss flew through the air. What an idiot. And she believed him.

Jake made small talk with Edward asking how the car was going, and got one-worded answers back. Edward was focused on the cop who was glaring daggers at him.

The second Bella was back, Edward jumped in the car, told Jasper to put his seatbelt and gunned it from the spot.

"Holy fuck, man!" Jasper grabbed at his seat.

Edward frowned, his eyes on the speedometer. "This won't do. Five point six. Seriously?"

"That's decent."

Edward floored the acceleration, angry that all the work and time he'd put in this car didn't do much. Zero to sixty in over five seconds wouldn't do. Ben was going to have the best start—he always had.

"Chill, man! You're nearing ninety and that cop is giving me the creeps."

"Jasper, don't tell me to chill when I have to drive this. Fuck, if Betty was her old self…I'd ship her here in a minute." Edward gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. His phone started vibrating. He extracted it from his pocket, slowing down. "What?" he snapped, not even checking who was calling.

"Jimmy is so mad right now. Stop wherever you are and wait for us," Bella whispered. Then she gasped. "No, I'm not. He's stopped. Uh, you're stopped right?" she checked, probably having talked with James.

"Yes," Edward muttered, pulling on the safe lane and turning the hazard lights on.

Ten minutes passed since he hung up with Bella until when James caught up with them. He stopped behind Edward and stormed to his car, more or less pulling him out of the car. Edward's foot caught inside the car, and he nearly face-planted when James dragged him out, a few feet away.

"Are you fucking insane, kid?"

"How the fuck do you want me to race if I'm not allowed to speed?"

"Watch you language. And you'll race when time comes not now."

Ignoring his language reprimand, Edward glared at the cop. "I need to see what the car can do so I know how to use that to my advantage. I have less than ten days to make it work. It's rubbish."

"You disappeared pretty quickly from the gas station. That isn't rubbish." James raised an eyebrow.

"James, look, the car's not working like I want. Let me test it on the way home. Please. I need to figure out what the fuck to do, what it needs. Go ahead of me if you don't like what you see."

Scowling at the teenager, James threw his arms up in the air and stomped to his cruiser. He peeled off quickly leaving a dust trail behind him.

"Fucking asshole," Edward muttered, walking to Mach One. He slid inside, strapped his seatbelt and sighed heavily. "Let's see what this beauty can do." He grinned at Jasper, only to be left stunned into place. Instead of his best friend, in the passenger seat was Bella.

"No, no, no. Bella. Why?" He moaned.

"If you plan to kill yourself, I thought I'd be around to see it happen," she said drily. "Besides, I was ready to punch that bitch. She kept talking in her overly sweet voice about Jimmy that and Jimmy this, she kept calling me little girl."

"Bella if James…no, _when_ he realizes you're not in his car…"

"Jasper will explain that I'm in need of adrenaline or some shit. Please."

"I can't." Edward wrapped his fingers in his hair, banging his head on the steering wheel. "You hate speed and I plan to go fast like…super fast. I want to see if this nitro is any good."

"How fast is that?"

"Faster than I went back in Chicago, faster than when we went after the car pieces to St. George. It's really fast."

"I'm ready," she said in a small voice. "But will you stop if I feel sick?"

Palming his face, Edward nodded. "Of course, baby."

He made sure she was safely in the seatbelt before kissing her fondly and turning the engine. Meeting her eyes, he grinned before shooting forward making Bella squeal. Her wide eyes stared out the windshield as the rumble of the engine increased. When Edward was satisfied with how Mach was going, he pushed her further then, after warning Bella he was going to try the nitro, he pushed the button.

They were propelled forward like being pushed by an unseen force from behind.

"Hooolly crap!" Edward held tightly on the steering wheel. "This is awesome!"

Bella whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. She kept reminding herself that she was the one who wanted to switch cars. Of course, she had no idea of Edward's plans.

"This is fun, don't you think?" he asked once the speed had died with the burned oxides. "Bella?" He glanced at her anxiously. "Are you going to be sick?"

She shook her head wildly.

Seeing her so distressed, he stopped at the sign welcoming them to Fredonia. Edward took her shaking hand and squeezed it. "We're fine. See? Nothing bad happened."

Snapped out of her shock, Bella opened the door and only had time to lean out in time to throw up.

"Fuck." Edward had no idea people could react like that to speed. After making sure his girlfriend was better and had some water in her system, he drove to her house without testing Mach anymore. He'd have time for that. Later, when she wasn't on board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

"Edward!" Seth called loudly, rushing into Jake's garage.

Edward lifted his head from where he was working on Mach's engine with Jasper. "Yeah?" He wiped his sweat with a greasy hand.

"I have something for you," he said excitedly, waving a paper in the air.

"What's that? Read it to me." Edward showed him his dirty hands.

It had been three days since their arrival in Fredonia, and he more or less had slept in Jake's garage. Jasper had called someone—a friend of a friend—and only a few hours prior they got everything they needed to make Mach invincible.

"Fuuck"! Jasper shouted when oil spurted into his face.

"Careful, man," Edward groaned. "Seth, what's that?" he repeated.

"You have to see it or you wouldn't believe me." The younger boy went to Edward's side and kept the paper in front of him.

Edward gasped. "Who gave this to you?"

"Some dude…I was at the store with Paul…"

"Duuude! This is…no one should know about this."

"But you already knew your final battle would be with Ben," Seth mumbled.

"I suspect that because he's the best. But you have names here…and their cars. You didn't tell them anything about me?" Edward looked at him imploringly.

"No…"

"Seth?"

"I said you were ready to rock."

"Give the kid a break," Jasper grunted. "Gimmie that!" He snatched the paper. "I know some of the names. If one of your opponents is this Garrett dude, don't worry about it. He always chokes his car if you slow down giving him the impression he'd win. He gets excited and chokes the poor thing. _Always_. Never failed."

"Thanks," Edward said appreciatively, going back under Mach's hood.

Jasper kept telling him about the names on the list, until he stopped and made a noise of disapproval. "Figures. Ben has two cars."

"Like always. He always has one for the final race and the other for every other race. We knew that."

"He has a Ford Mustang Fastback from 1967 and a Plymouth Road Runner."

"Speed?"

"Let me check."

The results showed Edward which car Ben would use in the final race—the Plymouth. It got from zero to sixty in only five, when the Mustang got there in seven point seven, though he suspected with the changes it got there faster.

His own Mach had improved to a five point two after some work.

It was December 30th and he wasn't ready for what was to come the following Saturday. Not one bit. Every time he let himself think of the races waiting for him, he felt bile rising in his throat. Bella gave him worried looks every time she looked at him, James gave him warning looks, and Jasper always had something to comment about additions for the car.

Edward decided he needed a break from all that and that night when he let himself in the Swans' house, he was ready to have a talk with Bella about his plan on going away for a couple days. Anywhere would be better than staying in that town the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He found her in the kitchen. She was dressed in one of his t-shirts—the red holey one she had stolen so long ago—and was sitting on the counter, spooning ice cream into her mouth, tapping her heel into the cabinet doors to the rhythm of the music from her iPod. Not wanting to startle her, Edward edged slowly into the kitchen and sat on the chair right across from her.

When Bella opened her eyes, she gasped. The spoon fell from her hand. "You're back!" she shouted.

"Shhh!" He pressed his finger to his mouth, gesturing for her to take the ear buds out. "Hey," he greeted her when she could hear him.

"Hi." Her cheeks turned red.

"Waiting for me?" he asked softly, walking to her and standing between her legs. He'd missed her. They couldn't find time to be alone. Edward ran his hands over her naked legs. "Come with me away for a few days."

"What? Are you high or something?"

He took the spoon from the box and stuck it into his mouth, sucking. "Have you ever been to Lake Powell?"

"A couple times. It's nice."

"I haven't. Be my tour guide?" He smirked at her, leaning to press his cold lips to her.

"But…"

"Don't think. Remember, you want to act like a rebellious teenager. Run away with me."

"Edward…"

"Bella," he pleaded with her. "I need this. I need some time away."

"Okay. Let's pack."

"That's the spirit. You'll like it. It'll be our little adventure."

They fit a few clothes in a backpack, made another small bag of snacks and after they caught a few hours of sleep, they were ready to go. When Bella casually let James know of their plans, he agreed without putting up a fight. The upset one turned out to be Jasper, but in the end he understood they needed to detach from everything, and he said he'd go visit Jake. They had become friends over the past few days.

The only request James had was for Bella to drive her car, and under no circumstances was Edward allowed behind the wheel. He agreed to the terms and they were off. The drive to Page, the closest city to Lake Powell took a little over an hour.

They had something to eat then drove to the lake. They were the only ones adventuring to visit on the last day of the year, but it was better. As they walked around, Bella pointing different attractions like Glen Canyon Dam telling Edward everything she knew about it. She tried to take him to Rainbow Bridge, but the GPS on Edward's new phone—courtesy of his mother's Christmas present—couldn't locate a route to take them there.

"It's so beautiful," Bella muttered upset. "I don't remember how Jimmy got there the last time we visited."

"Don't worry, Bella. This is beautiful. I've never seen a dam before."

"No?"

"Uh…no. When we go back, I'll take you to visit Chicago."

"I can't wait." She snuggled into his embrace, looking at the water running under them.

"It's not as breathtaking as this…what can compare to natural beauty?" As he spoke, Edward wasn't sure if he was talking about the landscape or Bella.

"The dam isn't natural."

"I wasn't talking about that," he said gently, tilting her head and kissing her deeply. "I love you."

A tight knot formed in Bella's throat and soon a sob escaped her. She burrowed her face into his jacket. "Don't kill yourself in the race."

"I'll see what I can do."

They stayed there for a few more minutes, before they returned to her car and went back into the city. Bella was asking if they should book a room or actually return home when Edward got a call from Jasper telling them about Jake's friends buying fireworks and having a party. That settled their destination.

After a late lunch, Bella gave him the keys, rolling her eyes and saying Jimmy would never know. She even gave him a route to bypass Fredonia on the way to Kanab.

Edward parked the car in front of Jake's house at four in the afternoon. He felt much better after their trip away from his problems. Jake guided them inside his house and Edward realized it was the first time he actually stepped in his friend's home. He'd only seen his garage. He hadn't even met Mr. Black properly, only seeing him in passing a few times.

"Dad's not home. He's in Phoenix with business. I think. Anyway, we're alone." Jake was more enthusiastic than usual. "I got booze," he whispered to Edward.

"Nice." He wasn't sure what to say. _Well done, but have you forgotten Bella's brother is a cop?_

In the living room the furniture had been pushed against the walls and everyone was sitting on the carpet in the middle of the room. It looked like their friends were in the middle of a card game. By the looks of it Jake had teamed with Jasper and they were winning.

It didn't surprise Edward to see they were playing on real money. Of course they had money. He'd seen Paul one too many times giving small packets of _things_ to people at school or in different parts of the town.

He took Bella to the kitchen to grab drinks. On the table was an array of strong liquor bottles.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked.

"Surprise me." She shrugged, not knowing much about drinks.

Edward winked and tried to show off with the bottle of whiskey, rolling it in the air and missing. "Oops."

Bella giggled, shaking her head. "Another job you should rule out—bartender."

"You think you're so funny, Miss Swan."

"I know I am, Cullen!"

He narrowed his eyes at her before pouncing. Her back collided with the wall as he devoured her mouth, her legs wrapping around him and her hands in his hair. She moaned loudly when he bit his way down her throat.

"Get a room! We can hear you fucking!"

"We're in another room!" Edward shouted back.

Footsteps approached the kitchen and Edward finally let Bella down on her feet, turning to see who was interrupting them. Jasper leaned against the doorjamb.

"Oh, no! I liked the whiskey."

"It slipped from my hand," Edward lied. "Drink?" he asked Bella, winking.

"I'm still waiting," she joked.

He fixed her a Mojito and he poured himself half a glass of scotch. Good thing there was a variety of drinks. Jasper grabbed a beer and led the lovebirds to the living room.

"We're upping the game," he explained. "Playing on money is not fun between friends. We're going to undress if we lose. We play in teams."

"Bring it. I'll have all of you naked in a matter of minutes." Edward looked smug.

His plan didn't work when Bella decided to prove she knew poker too. They lost three rounds in a row. He snatched his shirt off him, pursing his lips.

"Stop it. I'm playing, you stay here and look pretty."

Bella giggled, poking her tongue out at him. She'd had one too many Mojitos in the past half an hour. She leaned into his side, loving the skin on skin contact and watched attentively how her boyfriend played poker. He won match after match until all the others were down to their underwear like them.

"Should I keep this up?" he asked, his eyes glinting.

"Unless you and all the others want black eyes for seeing my girl naked…" Sam said threateningly.

"Yeah, you're right." Edward nodded in agreement. "You've seen enough of Bella. Besides, I'm cold."

On common agreement they got dressed and went to heat the pizza Jake had bought hours ago. They ate, resuming their spots in the living room, talking about anything but the races. Edward appreciated that.

As night fell around them, Jake switched on the TV and they watched different shows, emptying the bottles in the kitchen. Bella lay with her head on Edward's lap as he ran his fingers through her hair, looking at the TV but his thoughts were far away. He liked being with his friends, but was afraid of this being the last time he'd be around them.

Close to midnight, they went outside ready launch the fireworks to the sky. Paul and Jasper were opening bottles of sparkling wine while Leah and Bella were putting paper cups on the step in front of the house for the boys to pour the drink in when they managed to open the bottles. When they figured how to do it, corks started flying around—one, two, three, four.

Once everyone had a paper cup and the fireworks were ready to launch, they only had to wait two more minutes.

Edward wrapped both arms around Bella and pressed his forehead against hers. As cheers erupted around them and the fireworks zoomed through the night's air towards the sky, he closed his eyes.

 _All I wish is to make it out the races alive_.

Bella echoed his silent wish in her head.

When they opened their eyes, the tension escalated. He kissed her deeply, pouring everything he felt into that kiss—love, worry, need.

"Happy New Year, my man," Jasper said quietly, nudging Edward's arm.

Separating from Bella, Edward smiled slowly, clinking his cup to Jasper, repeating the words, before leaning to peck Bella's lips again and taking a sip from his now regular wine.

"Love you," she told him seriously.

Tucking her under his arm, and wrapping his other arm around Jasper's neck, Edward looked up at the firework show. He'd worry about his upcoming races in the morning. For the moment he wanted to get lost in Bella and had no idea where to take her to be alone. Maybe if he asked nicely, Jake would give him one room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

When the fireworks stopped, everyone headed back inside.

"I have an idea. Wait here," Edward told Bella. She nodded—it was all he needed.

"Hey, Jake!" Edward grabbed his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah? Come in. It's kinda cold out there."

"Can I have Mach's keys?"

Jake looked suspiciously at Edward, but picked them from his room and brought them to him. "Take care."

"Sure. Thanks." Edward clapped his shoulder and rushed back outside.

Bella was hugging herself, looking at the sky.

"Ready for another adventure?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"You, me and Mach One—alone in the desert. I miss you."

"Oh." She smiled at him, but it was short lived. "I don't have good memories with that car."

"I plan to make them the best…until we get to the same with Betty."

"Sheesh. It's so odd. Betty—the car."

"My Betty. My Bella. See? I have a preference for pretty ladies which names' start with B."

"Your car can't keep you warm at night." Bella huffed.

"Yes, she can, but the battery would be dead in the morning." He smirked at her. "Come."

Taking her hand, Edward led Bella to the garage. They slid inside the car and when he twisted the key in the ignition, the engine purred to life.

"Where to?" Bella wondered, fastening her seatbelt and whishing he wouldn't drive like a lunatic.

"In the middle of nowhere."

Edward drove for over half an hour when he finally jerked off the road and drove over the rocks and sand. He stopped after a few miles. No one was going to disturb them so far off the main road.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and Bella followed his lead. They shared a look filled with unreleased sexual charge. All of a sudden, Bella was straddling his legs, kissing him urgently. Edward moaned, taken by surprise.

"Oh, baby."

She felt possessed as she knotted her fingers in his hair. He loved the way her nails scraped against his scalp. As Bella shifted to get in a better position, she managed to sit exactly on his growing bulge. Edward hissed, stilling her hips. She loved the way his hardness felt pressed deliciously to the spot she needed him the most. Trying to create more friction, she grabbed hold of his shoulders and rubbed against him.

"Bella!" he grunted, his eyes crossing. "Stay still or I'll jizz in my pants."

"Oh." Her large, excited brown eyes found his hungry green ones. "Sorry."

When she rose off him, intending to go back to her seat, she bumped the top of her head on the car's ceiling.

"SHIT!"

"Oh, baby. Let me see." Edward quickly bent her head to inspect the damage. He couldn't see, but he kissed around her head, murmuring soothing words and massaging her scalp.

"Ow. I'm such an idiot." Hot tears trickled down her cheeks.

"No, you're not. Making out in a car is complicated."

"How do you know?" she mumbled. "Isn't this what you wanted to do?"

"Been there, done that," he muttered, kissing her forehead. "And no. This isn't what I wanted."

"Oh. I _am_ an idiot. Of course you don't want me. I can't even make you…happy…that way."

"Wrong again, baby. On so many levels," Edward said softly.

She looked at him confused.

"I brought you here to be alone and maybe get lucky…if that's what you want." Edward gave her a shy look. "You're the best I ever had. Never doubt that. I never felt this way before. Bella—" He took her face in his hands. "—I never cared for the girls I've been with. It didn't matter to me if they were happy, if they…came during the sex… It didn't mean anything to me."

"That's… _cruel_ ," she chose her words carefully, not wanting to offend him.

"That's how I was. You changed me—even before we got together."

"You grew up, and well, you needed a firm country girl's hand to steer you in the right direction." Bella grinned at him.

"Oh, I do need a firm hand somewhere, now."

"Tease. You said we can't do it in the car."

"Yep." He grinned wolfishly. At her puzzled look, Edward pressed his lips to her ear. "Not in, baby. _On_."

"On?" She squeaked.

"If it's okay with you." He looked at her uncertainly. If she didn't want, he wasn't going to force her.

"On the hood with the headlights on? Like in the movies?" Bella asked excitedly.

"Anything you want."

Bella crawled to her side of the car then tumbled out through the open door. Edward rushed over to check on her and got pulled down to the ground.

"The night I learned about you racing…when I slept in the guest bedroom, I had a dream," she murmured.

"A naughty one by the blush upon your cheeks."

Bella giggled. "Yes. We made love on top of a car. It was a dark car…"

"Betty?"

"Some car." She shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention. You were very distracting."

"What was I doing?" he asked seriously, squinting down at her.

Biting her lip, she looked away. "You took me from behind. It was amazing."

Edward was sure he had not heard right.

"You want that?"

"I don't know. Is it going to hurt?" Bella glanced at him, before looking away quickly.

"Did it hurt the last time…the only time? Christ. It was only once."

"I repeated that in my mind so much…it feels like a dozen times. It didn't hurt more than…necessary," Bella said shyly.

"Now it won't hurt at all."

"But it's not the same," she protested. "And I'm not sure how I feel about you doing that."

"It's nothing we haven't done. Instead of being on top of you, I'll be behind," he explained gently, brushing her cheek with his finger.

"Not the same…hole," she whispered softly. Her cheeks were burning in embarrassment.

Edward being so close to her and outside being quiet he heard her clearly, and couldn't help but laugh. Loudly.

"Hey! Don't be a jerk!"

"I'm so sorry, Bella. Do you really think I'd do that? Ew. It's gross. Some guys get off on backdoor action—not me."

"But then…"

"You seriously have no idea? I'll still aim for your pussy, baby."

She flushed. "Show me."

He'd died and gone to Heaven. His girlfriend—whom he had sex with only once—wanted to be fucked from behind against the hood of the car he'd compete with in a race.

"Holy shit. Take your clothes off."

"It's cold," she complained.

"You want to fuck with clothes on? You're so kinky."

"Is that okay with you?"

"It's fucking hot."

They walked hand in hand to the front of Mach One. Edward pressed Bella's back against the hood as he started kissing her—face, neck, everywhere he could reach. His hands raked over her bare legs, up under her skirt and when he found her panties, he pulled at the band covering her sex making her moan when the elastic slapped against her skin.

"Clothes on, you say? This should be fun. Turn around."

While Bella planted her front to the hood, Edward took a foil from his pocket and released his dick from his pants. It was achingly hard and leaking.

"I need Big Tony," she said over her shoulder.

"Fuck." _She remembered_ , Edward thought amused.

Covering his dick in latex, Edward pushed her legs apart, moved her panties out of the way, probed to see if she was ready—dripping wet—then he pulled her down a few inches, situating her body for the rocking that was to come.

"Ready, baby? You still have time to back out. It's not gonna be gentle."

"Do it. Fuck me, Edward."

Groaning at the sounds of the curse word falling from her innocent mouth, Edward pushed hard into her. Both of them grunted in pleasure. He pulled almost all the way out only to slam back quickly.

Bella started mewling, trying uselessly to get a grip of the metal with her hands. Edward kept a punishing rhythm. He trusted her to stop him if he hurt her, but by the sound of things she loved it just as much as him.

He dug his nails into her hips as he slammed into her over and over. Until Bella arched her back so much it came in contact with his chest, changing the penetration angle. His hands went to her breasts, fondling them over her shirt. She took hold of his hair at the back of his neck as he fucked her harder. When she clamped down on him, they both shouted their release into the night.

Edward fell against Bella's back, but straightened once he caught his breath.

"Wow, baby."

"Wow, indeed," she said giggling. "That was fantastic."

"I bet." He tied the condom and hurled it away, making Bella click her lips in a disapproving way. "What, I wasn't going to carry that back to Jake's…or wait until we got back to your house. Ew."

She shook her head at him and went to get back in the car. He joined her shortly and leaned over the gear shift to kiss her, nuzzling her nose.

"Any idea what time is it? I think I left my phone at Jake's," Bella said quietly when Edward turned on the car.

He fished for his phone. "Close to two. Huh. I have a text from Jasper."

**Alien is at Bella's! Dunno where you disappeared but get there. Pronto.**

"I think he's drunk," he joked, showing Bella the message.

She burst out laughing. "Maybe he confused Vicky to an alien."

"Alien…" Edward said slowly. "Alice! It's Alice. His autocorrect does that shit." He turned to stare wide-eyed at his girlfriend. "We're dropping Mach at Jake's, grab your phone and hightail it to your house. We better find a good story."

"We are supposed to be at Lake Powell."

"When Jasper's drunk he spills the beans. He's at your house… Fuck. Do you think he took your car?"

Bella rubbed at her forehead. "Can we go back to five minutes ago?" She pointed to the hood of the car. "Reality sucks."

It turned out Jasper had indeed taken Bella's car, and they had to drive in Mach One. Edward kept grumbling that there were still tons of things to do to his racing car, and that James better pay for the gas.

When they parked in front of the house, they saw Jasper leaning against the side of the house, smoking and looking like he could spew fire. When Edward approached him, he slid down the wall and started a long plethora about Alice coming over unannounced and yelling at him for not being where he said he'd be, that he was drunk, that he drove there drunk, where James apparently had something to say too. He went on and on and on, making Edward open the front door and tell Bella to go inside, halfway through the meltdown. He'd never seen his friend so distressed.

"Phew. I feel much better," Jasper mumbled when he had said everything he had to say and smoked half of his packet. "Where were you, by the way?"

"Oh, now I'm allowed to get a word in your word-vomit?"

"Sorry. I was so angry."

"It's cool, man. I get it. I was with Bella. You know, getting some privacy?"

"Oh, shit."

"Don't worry. How's Ally?" Edward took one cigarette for himself. He hadn't had one in too long.

"She burst in tears and the cop's chick went after her. Right now I feel like an ass."

"Go and talk to her. I've fought with Alice so much growing up…talking is the key."

"Yeah, like with all girls. Though, I have no idea what she wants me to say. I left her home because she wanted to visit her parents. And now she's here yelling at me for abandoning her."

"Girls are weird," Edward told his friend seriously.

"You can say that again," James's voice came from above them. "Right now, I got kicked out of my own house because I simply shouted through Bella's door to turn the music down."

"Join the club, dude. Have a smoke." Jasper gestured to James. "If you have problems with your woman, share 'em. We're listening."

"You're still drunk."

"That's a possibly." Jasper chuckled. He yawned loudly. "I think I'm gonna hog your couch. What a fabulous beginning of the year."

As he shuffled inside the house, Edward stood and gave James a nervous look. "I'm going to bed too."

"Wait." James put his hand on the doorframe. "I want your opinion on something. Thanks to your moronic friend and my nerves I didn't have a chance to do this but…after three years of relationship, is it too soon to propose?"

"Why are you asking me? Bella's my first real, steady relationship."

"Because I need to talk to someone."

In that moment realized that James didn't have someone to discuss his problems with. His best friend had only woken from a two years coma mere weeks again, his parents were dead—or so Edward suspected since neither of the siblings spoke of them—and he probably wasn't friendly at work.

"Can we take the convo to the kitchen? I need coffee."

James smiled one of his seldom smiles, leading the way inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

There was an insistent knock on the bathroom door. Edward refused to even try and get up from the floor. He'd never been this nervous before a race. He'd never thrown up, and his so-called best friend was laughing his ass off.

The knocking didn't cease.

"Fuck off!" Edward called loudly.

"It's me," Bella said softly. "Let me in."

Edward moaned, glaring at the ceiling. "Go away."

"Is it something you ate? Please."

"I'm nervous!" he shouted, finally allowing his nerves to get the best of him.

His first race was in less than five hours—it was with a first-time racer with an unmodified Honda. He was going to win, but the mere thought of going out there and risking his life when he'd come to a pact with himself to never race again…it was too much.

Minutes ticked by and he heard movement on the other side of the door.

"Are you still there?" he asked, moving into a sitting positing, resting his back against the door.

"Yes," Bella answered, letting her head fall against the door too. "Feeling better?"

"Not really. I'm scared," he mumbled.

"Open the door, Edward."

Sighing heavily, he did as told and in the next second he was pulled into a choking hug. "I'm scared too," she whispered into his ear. She kissed his temple. "I prayed last night."

"Bella…" He had no idea how to feel. He wasn't exactly religious.

"I haven't slept well since New Year. There's what happened to Brady as an example and…I know what it's going to be like. I was with you in the car when you sped."

"You don't have to come. I thought we established you'd wait here under the blanket, hugging Baby Seal."

Bella gave him a small smile. "I'll be there, Edward. To hug and kiss you before you get into the car…and when you get out. Definitely when you get out very much unscathed and alive."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Come, you need to eat something. Vicky cooked and it's surprisingly very good." Bella winked.

"Don't mention food. I just spent the last hour emptying my stomach. Where's Jasper?"

"With Jake, eating the lasagna Vicky cooked."

Bella cupped his cheeks, kissing his forehead. Her eyes widened when she felt him warm. Her palm felt him and she gasped. "You're burning."

"I don't feel so well," he grunted, letting his head fall on her shoulder.

"That's it. You're not racing."

"Don't be stupid. I have to race, Bella. I told you what happens if I don't. I don't want anyone hurt or shot or…killed."

"Oh, so you'll go there with a fever ready to kill yourself?"

"I'll take a pill or something. I'll be fine."

**~~000~~**

Adrenaline spiked through his body as he drove to the place where the first race would be.

It looked like an old road, now not used anymore. There were many people gathered and quite the selection of cars.

Edward immediately found the Honda. The owner didn't stand a chance.

"There are people from school," Bella mused, looking around with huge eyes.

She'd insisted on coming, and no matter how hard Edward tried, he couldn't convince her to stay home. He was feeling much better—all his nerves gone, replaced by sheer excitement—but the stubborn creature next to him didn't seem to understand that.

Jake and Jasper were already there. Edward could even spot Alice. She had short pig tails making her look even more like a child.

Edward rolled the car to the Start line, next to the Honda. He turned to give Bella a reassuring knee squeeze before exiting.

He shook hands with the people hosting the race and even gave Ben a curt nod. Bella kept close to him, clinging to his arm.

Every male present leered at her. Wearing her short black dress and the knee high boots burrowed from Vicky wasn't the best choice. And her heavy make-up didn't help, either.

"Go to Jake. He'll keep you safe. If he touches you, I'll kill him," Edward told Bella when he got the signal to get ready.

"Be careful, honey." She kissed him quickly on the mouth before rushing to Jake.

Edward licked his lips as he slid in his car.

The drag race would be an easy win. The next one—a drift—would present some difficulty. He still remembered his conversation with James on New Year's. Somehow, from talking about marrying Vicky, James had confessed he was the one to give Seth the list with the names and cars, and he happened to know what kind of races there would be, too. He also divulged the plan he had made with Emmett.

Once Edward won the last race—the one with Ben—cops would descend. That meant Edward had to win everything.

When a girl came between their cars, Edward took a moment to look at his opponent. He looked about ready to shit himself. The girl signaled their start and Edward peeled off, leaving Honda in a whirlwind of dust.

He was used to driving at night, and even though he didn't know the road, he kept his eyes ahead, focused on the task at hand. All too soon, he could see the finish point illuminated by headlights of the waiting cars. In Chicago it used to be a building they all knew allotted as their finish point.

Checking in the rearview mirror, Edward was pleased to see the other car trying to catch up with him.

Mach One was indeed no match. _A true wild horse, this Mustang_ , he thought amused.

He arrived at the finish, and was welcomed by cheers and pats on his back. But Edward didn't want to lose focus. He had another race in only two hours. Night had fallen dark over them.

Once they reunited, Bella refused to leave his arms. He didn't mind, chewing slowly on the sandwich she had brought him.

The drift race would take place into town. Luckily, he knew the cops would stay out of their way. His opponent was a Yenko Camaro, and Edward could tell it was much better for drifting…for racing in general.

Before the start, Bella kissed him again and wished him good luck. Edward winked promising her to win. Having his girlfriend around gave him unknown powers, making him want to show off and prove her racing wasn't that bad. She had a preconceived idea of racing, when racing had been his life before the unfortunate event back in Chicago.

The race turned out to be more challenging than Edward expected. The other guy kept gaining speed, but each street corner Edward's car sprang ahead like a cheetah. All the time invested in repairing Mach wasn't a waste. He was proud of his handiwork.

The end of the race was tight, after the last corner. Yenko Camaro was ahead which gave Edward no choice but to use the ace from his proverbial sleeve. Closing his eyes briefly, he pushed the nitro button. The car zoomed past the Camaro.

What he didn't think was how to stop the car on such short notice. Seeing the car fast approaching the group waiting and any of them moving away, Edward slammed the brakes making the car spin. He gripped tightly the steering wheel, keeping his eyes wide open. He could almost feel the scared look on his face, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

People cheered loudly, probably thinking he was doing victory donuts.

After finally stopping, Edward stayed slumped on the wheel for a couple minutes, trying to settle his heartbeat.

"Well done, my man!" Jasper pulled him out of the car, hugging him tightly. "No one realized what a close one that was. Bella loved the "circles" as she called them." He gave his friend a scandalized look.

Edward relaxed visibly, a smile tugging at his lips. His little innocent Bella. "Nice. I had it under control."

"You looked terrified."

"Shhh!" he hissed, opening his arms for Bella who was running to him. She collided into him full speed. "Hey, baby." Picking her up, Edward spun her around, making her squee gleefully.

"You were amazing," she gasped out, kissing all over his face.

"We have to celebrate."

As more people approached to congratulate him, even his opponent came to shake his hand, Edward was transported back in Chicago and how well he was perceived by his peers. In that moment, he didn't even feel he was working for the police, helping the enemies. He was doing what he loved, what he'd restrained himself from for so long.

The euphoria didn't last long. Ben approached his group.

"Great race, Speedy," he said in his thick voice.

"Thanks, Badass."

"See you later. We changed the place. I think we have a rat around." Ben frowned, sweeping the crowd with an angry look.

"Oh? Where will we race?"

They walked a few feet away, to have some privacy for their important conversation.

"On US 89 A Route."

"What about traffic?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"At one in the morning?"

"The time has changed too?" Edward felt sweat trickling down his neck.

How could Ben know the cops had a lead on them?

"Yes." Ben grinned maliciously. "See you in four hours. Maybe three is a lucky for you."

"Tonight?" Edward half shouted, ignoring the jab.

"Unless you have a problem." Smirking, Ben left Edward stunned.

Obviously Ben hadn't raced, he was the previous winner. He's simply race the one who won everything, which turned out to be Edward.

Spinning on his heel, Edward went to his friends telling them they had to get back home, because there was a major change in their plans.

To Edward's surprise, back at the Swans', he found Emmett and his father chatting with the host in the kitchen. They went into a frenzy when Edward explained the situation. After a beat of frozen silence, his cousin and James started calling their friends, his father was on the phone as well and Edward suspected he'd really involve the mob. Shuddering at the thought, he took Bella's hand and told everyone who was listening that he was going to get a couple hours of shut eye. He needed to be fresh for the most important race of his life.

They went to Bella's room. He stood at the foot of the bed, watching as she methodically and carefully removed all her toys from the bed before pulling down the blanket and patting the bed.

Edward kicked his shoes and crawled up the bed, shifting around until he had his back pressed against the wall and Bella was in his arms. Her head rest on his bent arm as her hand kept stroking his face, looking at him anxiously.

"Are you scared?" she whispered.

"It's such short notice…"

"Is he allowed to change the time and place?"

"Theoretically, he can do anything." He closed his eyes, sighing. "There are only a few simple rules in racing, Bella. But ever since he became king of the road, everything's changed. He thinks he's allowed to do anything. Many races back in Chicago got switched to whatever hour he wanted, turning into lost races considering his opponents didn't know, or were informed too late. Whoever wins, gets the other's car."

"Oh?"

"When I competed against him, I never used Betty. I always used whatever car I won in a previous race. They weren't as good as Betty, but losing the only thing I loved most…no." He shook his head.

"Does Jake know it's a possibility for him to lose the car? After all the money he spent on it?"

"He knows. I hope he does, but I'm going to win. I'll show the motherfucker who's the boss. For once, I'll have a car if not better than his Plymouth then close to it. Ah, if I get that car…" He trailed off, grinning lazily. "Fuck."

"Hey!" Bella snapped her fingers in his face. "This is your last race. You promised Jimmy."

"Did I?"

"Edward!"

"What? We're going back to Chicago after this."

"Do I have to handcuff you to keep you away from racing?" She glared at him.

"I knew you were kinky, Bella, but handcuffs?"

She turned red, and huffed, rolling around. He regretted the joke immediately. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, he hugged her tightly, burrowing his face into her hair. Bella eventually took his hand and played with his fingers as he slowly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)
> 
> This chapter contains violence and shooting. Consider yourselves warned. :)

"Cous, wake up." Emmett shook Edward's shoulder. "Ed, time to wake up."

Slowly, Edward blinked his eyes open. The room was dark but he could see his cousin through the silver of light creeping into the room from the hallway. "Time?" he mumbled, rising slowly as if not to wake Bella.

"Midnight. I need to give you something," Emmett whispered.

Still sleepy, Edward followed his cousin out the room. He was led outside to Mach One.

It was quiet outside, aside from the rumble of the racing cars in the distance.

"Has Uncle Carlisle taught you how to use a gun?"

Edward whipped his head around, staring at Emmett open-mouthed.

"Has he?" he insisted.

"Yes. Why?"

"You may need this later. When we attack, chaos will take place and I know they have guns. You need to protect yourself." He handed his little cousin a Glock 17, showing him how it worked.

"Are you sure, Emmett? I doubt they'll attack."

"Cous, trust me. Just this one time do as I say. Uncle C gave me permission to give you the gun."

"Where is he?" Edward asked, trying to grasp what was going on. The weapon felt heavy in his hand.

"He's on the way to the airport to pick up his friends. They took a jet. And the funny part is that my colleagues are on that jet too. Imagine that, Ed. Police and mob at the same place, not killing each other, ready to fight together for a noble cause."

"Now I'm a noble cause."

Emmett chuckled, patting Edward on the back. "You might want to put that away."

"Where? In the back of my jeans?"

"Try the glove compartment."

They went back inside and found James with another cop at the kitchen table. Emmett went to join them, but Edward walked to the living room where he found his friends scattered around the room. Everyone was there, all Jake's group. Jasper was slouched on the couch, deep in conversation with Sam, keeping Alice tucked into his side as she slept deeply.

"Hey. You're awake!" Seth exclaimed.

"Yeah." Edward blinked. "I think we should get going."

"You should wake Bella. She'll have your balls if you leave her out of this," Jake said seriously.

Nodding, Edward went down the hallway, and after a stop to the bathroom, he stepped into Bella's room. He crouched beside the bed and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Baby, I have to go."

"Is it time?" she mumbled, yawning loudly.

"Oh, you're awake."

"I heard the bathroom door slamming."

"Yeah, that was me. Sorry."

"It's okay. Give me two minutes. I need the bathroom too."

He pecked her cheek before joining his friends in the living room. Nerves, excitement, adrenaline and fear ran through his veins as he sat on the arm of the couch, his leg bouncing. He'd never been more aware of the way his heart beat steadily, the way his stomach churned, the way his brain worked a mile per minute.

"Ready," Bella said from beside him making him jump. "Why so jumpy?" she teased, but her voice was strained.

"Why so sexy?" he joked, smoothing her tangled hair. Suddenly, not even caring they weren't alone, Edward tugged Bella closer and kissed her deeply, pouring all his emotions into that single kiss. It left her swooning.

Edward drove alone to the meeting point. The others used Bella's car and their bikes.

Ben was waiting outside his car, leaning against the hood with a girl on each side.

"Ready to lose, Speedy?" he mocked Edward, leaning over the passenger's window of the Mach.

"Not this lifetime. It's time I win," Edward said determined. "Tell me where's the turning point."

"You'll know—there will be a sign letting us know," Ben explained. Edward nodded. "It's about ten miles away. You go there then turn around and we meet here."

"That would be one short race," Edward challenged him.

Ben scowled. "We start in fifteen minutes."

Nodding again, Edward drove to the Start line then got out, stretching and looking for his Good Luck Charm. He couldn't spot her and slouched against the side of Mach One, running his hands through his hair.

He was more scared of the outcome of the race, than of the race itself. To the police it didn't matter who won, they catch the bad guy and his gang. A chilling thought choked Edward—what would happen to him? If the Judge caught wind of him racing…

"Edward?" A man Edward had never seen in his life was standing in front of him, but somehow he knew who this was.

"Yes," he said softly. "Brady?"

The man's eyebrows shot up. He looked around worried, tugging the cap over his eyes better. "How do you know?"

"Oh, please. I've heard so much about you… Good to see you're better."

The hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "Yeah. Who would have thought I'd return to this scene? You ready? You looked sick a moment ago."

Edward swallowed his nerves. "Funny enough, the race doesn't scare me. I want to win, of course, and show that fucker who's the best, but no matter what happens, your friends will get them."

"That's true. Can you keep this meeting a secret? No one knows I'm here."

"You got it, man."

"I found him!" Bella's voice startled both men. "Brady?" she asked shocked, staring at the man hiding behind the baseball cap.

"Surprise?"

While he hugged Bella, Edward felt eyes on him and when he turned he was met by Ben's icy glare. Fuck. Did he know Brady? Of course, he knew Brady. He'd put him in the hospital.

"You have to go. Go!" Edward said urgently, but the damage was already done.

Ben made the universal "I'm watching you" gesture before sliding in his car.

Edward quickly kissed Bella, looking at her, memorizing her face and hoping with every fiber in his body it wouldn't be the last time he saw her. She leaned over his open window and hugged him, whispering in his ear how much she loved him, but a second later Brady pulled her away, dragging her to the group. Edward could see clearly that she was sobbing.

 _Don't cry, baby_. He thought sadly.

The revving of Plymouth's engine snapped him out of his thoughts. He had to focus on the race.

Edward didn't turn to look one last time at Ben, but he did something he'd never done. He did the sign of the cross and prayed silently everything would end well.

The customary girl giving them the "GO" lifted her right arm, then her left before lowering both. Edward pressed his foot on the acceleration, springing ahead. Ben was next to him. They kept taunting each other for a few miles, until the Plymouth propelled ahead with the nitro's help. Edward gritted his teeth, not having wanted to use it just yet. He'd planned for it on his turn back so sticking to his plan, he pushed Mach to go faster without any additional help.

When Edward reached the turning point, he was surprised to find Ben there. His car positioned to head back. He saluted Edward before gunning it back the way they came.

Angry at his stunt, Edward spun the car round, before shifting into a lower gear and soon he was driving alongside Ben, whose eyes were wide. Edward mock-saluted him and smirked, before pushing the nitro button. Mach One launched ahead like a racquet.

His eyes widened when he saw police sirens at their gathering. What had James done? He promised.

The sudden distraction was enough for Ben who had neared Edward, and seeing his opponent had slowed, he went head first into his back. Edward got chocked by the bite of the seatbelt as Mach was pushed ahead.

Ben never played fair.

Edward gained speed once again and when he saw the other car approaching from behind once again, he slammed the brakes and closed his eyes, shielding his head with his hands. Metal rattled against metal and Mach shook violently as the Plymouth went flying through the air. It landed off the road, rolling round and round until it came to a stop with the wheels in the air. Edward watched with stunned fascination and horror as it burst into flames.

His door opened and he lunged for the gun pointing it at the person outside. A huge sigh of relief left his body when he saw his father bending inside.

"Are you hurt, Edward? And would you mind not pointing that at me?"

"Sorry," he said on a shaky voice.

"Come on." Carlisle helped his son out, putting his arm around him. Edward couldn't feel his legs, and only his father's arm was keeping him from crumbling to the ground. "Son, I need to get you out of here."

"No. Bella's there."

"You just killed their leader."

"I doubt that. I bet Ben escaped from the car." He turned to stare at the burning vehicle.

Only five feet away, there were screams and gunshots.

"Where are your…friends?" Edward asked his father.

"They're over there, helping Emmett and James."

A car Edward recognized as Ben's approached—his other car, the Mustang Fastback. Ben was the one behind the wheel, but who was in the passenger seat, was a sight ripped from Edward's nightmares. Bella—terrified and with tears down her cheeks.

"DAD!" Edward shouted. "He has Bella." Not saying more, he jumped in Mach One, turned her around and sped after Ben. He was aware he couldn't bump into him, worried he'd harm Bella.

This wasn't the way the race should have ended.

What the fuck happened back there while they were busy racing?

Maybe Ben told his gang to attack the others when he saw Brady. Fuck. That was one stupid move coming from a cop.

Edward advanced on Ben and drove alongside. "Pull over, asshole!" he shouted.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you and your pretty lady with me."

Edward's blood boiled. He glanced over, meeting Bella's wide, dilated brown eyes. "Hold on tight, baby!" When she nodded and grabbed hold of the seat under her, Edward swerved Mach One, bumping into Ben's car. Being a skilled driver, he managed to keep the car relatively steady before returning the favor to Edward, who was pushed a few feet away. Getting angrier by the second, he crashed again into Ben, this time pushing him off track. Desperate to get back on the asphalt, Ben pressed both brake and acceleration making the car lurch ahead catching a bumping path and starting to roll.

"Bella!" Edward stopped his car and rushed out, toward the other car.

It was too dark and he couldn't see much beside what the stars and moon allowed him. He fell a lot of times until he neared the now stopped car. It was on its wheels, the headlights on. As he inched closer, squinting inside he saw movement at the front of the car. When he raised his head the sight before him chilled his blood.

Ben was standing in the headlights' range, holding Bella—her back to his chest and a gun to her temple.

"Tell the blues to release my guys." Ben threw his phone at Edward. "Call them. Tell them to let my guys go, or your pretty cunt dies."

Bella sobbed, struggling. "Don't, Edward!"

"Ah, don't you love it when they give up for the bad guy?"

"You fucking deranged asshole!" Edward shouted, taking the gun from the back of his jeans. "It's between you and me. Leave Bella out of this!"

"Oh, so after all, you followed in your daddy's footsteps?"

Edward lowered the gun to the left and fired. He grazed Ben's leg making him drop Bella as he bent to grab his injured leg.

It gave Edward enough time to take Bella's hand and drag her away. Hugging her tightly, he kept his gun steady aimed at Ben. "Go after help," he whispered in her ear. "Keys are in contact."

"What about you?"

"Bella, go," he hissed, glaring at Ben who had once again stood up at his full height. "Go, baby," Edward repeated, pushing her toward the main road.

Ben shot toward her retreating form, but missed. Bella's scream was of fright. On the main road she found her brother, Emmett and a dozen other cops. She pointed them to where Edward was.

"Just us, as you wanted," Ben told Edward cunningly. "You have me. What will you do?"

"Keep you alive until the cops arrive."

"Would you be my cell mate? I hear you weren't allowed within ten mile radius of racing cars."

"I wouldn't worry about me. If I were you I'd start worrying about dropping the soap," Edward hissed acidly. "Street racing is definitely nothing compared to your other crimes, Ben. You killed innocent people when you went after Jasper years ago."

"I didn't know they weren't involved. Call them collateral damage."

"What about the last time you almost lost? You nearly killed a cop."

"Ah, dear Brady. I saw him, that's what gave your little scheme away. Never took you for a rat. Working with the five o's? That's low even for you, but I'm determined to finish our business here." Ben shot at Edward who dodged at the last minute. The bullet blinded one of the headlights of his car.

Edward had no idea he'd be so calm while using a gun. He fired again, this time actually ripping through Ben's femur. The loud sounds of the shooting left him slightly deaf and his arm aching, but he didn't care.

He became aware of people approaching. A sea of flashlights webbed the area. Emmett rushed to Edward's side, checking to see if he was injured, while James and two of his fellow cops approached Ben's crumpled body. When one of the two unknown officers bent over Ben's body, his gun shot up and he popped one between the cop's eyes. Under Edward's stunned gaze, everyone started shooting at Ben who fell to the ground once again.

Emmett took Edward's gun, slowly unclenching his fingers from it. Edward wanted to tell someone to push Ben's gun away because he definitely had one more bullet, but he couldn't find his voice.

He slowly made his way toward his enemy when no one was paying attention. Ben's eyes were closed, but suddenly they opened making Edward gasp.

"I'm not gonna die alone," Ben gurgled. "I'm taking something precious with me." His eyes went behind Edward. Bella was running toward him.

As if in slow motion, Ben's hand lifted the gun and Edward didn't think, he simply moved in between the gun and Bella. Ben fired, his huge, amused and scarily vacant eyes locked on Edward's. As Edward crumpled to the ground, searing pain exploding in his stomach, he realized Ben had died.

"Edward! Honey! No!" Bella fell on her knees next to him.

He turned his head to her, pressing his hands to his stomach. He wanted to say it would be alright, but all that left his mouth was a gush of blood. As someone else fell on his other side, asking in a vaguely familiar voice what happened, everything went black for Edward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> And to you, my readers and followers, thank you! I wish I had the time to answer you, but we can discuss stuff in my facebook group. ;)

Bella felt like she was living in some parallel world, because nothing seemed to make sense. Ever since she met Edward, her world had exploded. At first, she had no idea why she felt so attracted to him, but the more information about his past she got the more fascinating he got. Gone was her dull life, though at that very moment she wished for her dull life.

Ever since she had learned he'd have to compete in a race—a very dangerous one—she had vehemently tried to stop him. He didn't listen. He never listened.

The past few hours had been the worst of her life. It was as if the whole Brady episode was on repeat, but worse. Much, much worse. This time the injured one was Edward, her boyfriend, and he was shot.

No one told her anything as she sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, curled up, holding the can of soda Jake had pushed into her hand a while ago. She had no intention to open it.

All their friends were there. Sam sat with Leah in a corner, Paul was a few chairs away with Seth trying to get him to calm down—out of all the boys, Seth seemed to be the most affected. Edward had warmed up to him first and they'd become very good friends in a short period of time. Jake was next to her, his head on the back of the chair, gazing unseeingly at the ceiling. Jasper was pacing up and down the small room. No one dared to tell him how annoying that was. Alice was slouching two seats away from Bella, having managed to fall asleep. Carlisle, Edward's father, was on the phone keeping a calm façade, but Bella could tell by his eyes—when they met hers every once in a while—that he was very worried for his son's life.

She realized he was probably talking to his wife. It must be horrible for the grieving mother to travel alone to an unknown place where her son was fighting for his life on the operation table.

At least, Bella knew he was on good hands. Carlisle had ordered the doctors to keep him stable until more qualified people from Phoenix arrived. They'd been in the O.R. for hours and the more time passed the sicker she got.

Bella tried to remember all the happy times she had spent with Edward in the past few months, his beautiful smile, his laugh, the way he called her baby. A sob erupted from her chest as she hugged her knees tighter, allowing her tears to roll down her cheeks and fall in her lap.

She fleetingly wondered what were Jimmy and Emmett doing at the station with Ben's gang, but she quickly dismissed the thought. They should all rot in hell.

The doors of the waiting room opened and in spilled a distressed Esme. She fell into her husband's arms, wailing.

Bella couldn't be there for another minute. She was suffocating. Why was there no news?

She fled from the room, and only stopped when she reached the front steps of the hospital. She slumped down, letting her head fall on her folded arms.

It felt like hours passed until someone shook her shoulders, calling her name. Bella shivered. It was January after all, even if they were in Arizona.

Emmett was crouched in front of her, staring at her worried. She saw her brother behind him and her lower lip quivered. She needed him, and he seemed to sense that, immediately joining her on the steps and wrapping her in his warm jacket.

"Is he…?" Emmett choked out.

Bella lifted one shoulder. "No one has come to tell us anything."

He nodded somberly and went inside. She burrowed into her brother's chest, weeping. James rubbed her back, at a loss how to act around his baby sister crying. The last time she'd been this distressed had been when they lost their parents. But they were younger, she was a child.

"Jimmy."

"I'm here, sis. I'm here." He kissed the top of her head, rocking back and fro.

"Tell me he'll make it," she mumbled into his shirt.

"You know I can't do that. I hope he's strong enough to survive. But Bella…" He tilted her head to look at her. "…shoots in the stomach area are the worst."

"But Ryan or…whatever his name is, he got shot a few years back too."

"It was in his side, Bella. And he had months of bed rest, but blow right in the abdomen? I'm not sure, sis."

She sobbed, crawling in his lap. For the first time since they had lost their parents, she truly wished for them to be there. She needed their reassuring words.

The front door of the hospital opened and Jasper burst out. Bella stared at him, waiting for him to talk, but after staring at her for a full minute he turned to the side and heaved over the banister. It made her think of the worst, but he was followed outside by Alice.

"He's out of the surgery. He's stable," she said softly before hovering over her boyfriend.

Bella sprung up and rushed inside. She ran past nurses and patients and even their friends still waiting in that stupid room. She came to a halt at the end of the hallway, realizing she had no idea where she was headed, but then she saw Mrs. Cullen coming out of a room with Mr. Cullen's arm around her. Bella dashed in their direction.

"I was coming to get you," Esme said quietly, bringing Bella in a tight hug. "It doesn't look as bad as it sounds."

"I'm sorry," Bella mumbled, not knowing why she was apologizing.

"My son is one stubborn boy, but right now I can only thank these amazing doctors for keeping him alive."

"Is he going to be alright?" Bella looked from Esme to Carlisle.

He nodded solemnly. "Dr. Hunt said if he passes the night alright, he'll be fine."

"If he wakes, let us know." Esme cupped Bella's cheek. "The doctor said he might wake up in the next hour."

"Oh, you go back to him. I can't go in there… He'll need you," Bella protested.

"He'd love to have you there." Esme gave her a small, watery smile.

"And don't let his accessories scare you. I'm going to have a talk to Emmett and James about that," Carlisle added in a sour tone.

 _What accessories?_ Bella wondered confused.

She stepped into the room, closing the door as softly as she could. Her heart stopped when she saw her boyfriend in the hospital bed. The first thing she saw was the white bandage wrapped around his stomach, then the IV in his arm and to her utter shock, his other hand was cuffed to the metal bar of the bed. _That must be the accessory._

She fell in the plastic chair beside the bed and took his hand. "I'm here, sweetie," she whispered, rubbing his hand. "I'm not sure if you hear me, but I'm so happy to see you alive."

He didn't move.

Bella pulled her knees up against her chest and rested her chin on them, her hands still on his hand. She tried not to look at the silver cuff.

What did that mean? Was he going to get arrested?

Technically, he wasn't allowed anywhere near racing cars, let alone race. _But why would they cuff an unconscious person? It's not as if he's able to run anywhere anytime soon._

She wondered idly why Emmett hadn't talked to the judge before the race. They should have allowed him to do this.

Was Edward risking prison?

Her stomach turned at the thought of him in prison. Everyone had fought to keep him out of there, only for him to end up in that place after all. She wanted to blame Jake, but she couldn't find it in her heart to do it. Even though he took all the blame, Bella knew that someday this inevitable meeting between Edward and Ben would have happened. She had no idea of the outcome, but it could have been worse, or better, she'd never know.

A tightening around her fingers alerted her that Edward was waking. She scooted closer and gazed at him apprehensively.

His eyes fluttered open. Hazy green eyes found her anxious brown ones.

"Hey," he croaked out.

"Water?" she asked softly.

He nodded, looking around. "Hospital? What happened?"

Bella held a glass with a straw at his lips. Once he had a few sips, he lifted his hand to stop her only to have it jerked back.

"Ow," he hissed. "The fuck?"

"You're cuffed. Don't break your wrist too," she said soothingly, rubbing his hand.

"What? Why?" He stared surprised at the handcuffs. "Is this part of your kinky fantasy?"

"I wish." She managed a small smile. "Let me bring your parents. You had all of us worried sick, Edward."

"What happened? Wait. I want one more minute alone with you."

Bella explained to him in a few words the past few hours' events—since he got shot to the moment he woke up.

"He shot me? No wonder I feel like shit."

"Does anything hurt?" she asked, worried.

"My stomach, obviously. And my head."

"I think you hit your head too when you fell. Let me bring the doctor and your parents." She leaned over his bed, kissing him chastely on the lips before disappearing from the room.

 _Shot?_ He got shot.

Edward couldn't comprehend the enormity of the situation.

And he was cuffed like a convicted criminal.

The only thought that made him smile in that crazy situation was that Ben was dead. He'd never hurt anyone again.

The next few hours exhausted Edward. He wished he hadn't allowed Bella to go after his parents. Even though he needed to see them, after them his friends followed and it seemed like a never-ending stream of hugs and gasps at the cuffs and pitiful looks at the bandage around his middle.

At the moment his parents were back with Bella, his eyes were dropping. His mother was at his side, stroking his hair and Edward didn't even seem to find it in him to be embarrassed. The doctor had given him more morphine or valium or whatever was in that IV. It made the pain go away and sleep fog his brain.

He slept in rounds, coming around to some loud noise or the door creaking open, then falling back asleep. Someone was constantly next to him, and he suspected his mother was that person. At some point there was a commotion around, people screaming, but he succumbed to the drug again.

When he finally pulled through the foggy haze, he found Bella curled next to him. His right hand was cuff-free and he flexed it slowly, making the joint pop, before wrapping it around her back.

She stirred and looked up at him. "Oh."

"Hi."

"You're awake. God, you scared me so much! The doctor had no idea why you wouldn't wake!"

"I was tired, I guess," he tried to make light.

"Don't. Not now. Don't joke." She reached up to kiss his stubbly cheek.

"What time is it?"

"You mean, what day is it, surely?"

"Now, you're joking, baby."

"It's January the seventh, Edward! You slept for two days straight. But I guess I understand you. Now you have to face the music."

He frowned, running his fingers down her back. "What's that? Where's everyone?"

"Jimmy convinced your parents to go sleep at our house. He's at the station now, and the others went home too. Oh, Jasper and Alice came back after a few hours of sleep at home. They should return shortly, they went after coffee."

He grinned. "I could use some coffee."

"I doubt you're allowed anything. Your doc nearly had my head for giving you water when you first woke up. Sheesh. Never get shot again, it's giving me headaches."

"Promise." He leaned to kiss her but stopped shortly, hissing in pain.

"I'll bring Vicky," Bella told him quickly. "She works here, did I tell you?"

He shook his head in amusement.

As Bella left, Jasper and Alice stepped in the room. Having his old friends around made him forget about the pain. Barely.

"Jazz, stop looking at me like that! I'm still alive," Edward grumbled after five minutes of his friend looking sadly at him.

"Man, I could have lost your crazy ass. I'd have missed you."

"I know," Edward said softly. "I'm here. Not going anywhere."

Bella returned with Vicky and a doctor Edward could vaguely remember. He'd talked to him before, but he had no idea if it was during his hazy dreams or in the O.R.. He presented himself as Dr. Hunt and started the check-up after sending everyone out of the room. Vicky was changing one of the bags above is head.

"Am I allowed to eat? I'm kinda hungry," Edward wondered when the doctor was done, looking pleased with the progress.

"Stick to the needle for now. I need to run a few tests. Schedule him for an MRI."

"MRI? Sounds painful."

"That helps to scan your body and see what's inside."

"I wish I was left in the dark," Edward muttered. "What about water? Can I drink?"

"With the straw and only a few sips." The doctor turned to Vicky telling her more medical terms Edward didn't understand before leaving, but not without promising to see him soon.

"Thanks." Edward nodded to Vicky when she handed him the cup of water.

"I'm not sure why I'm allowed here, since you're practically family. At least I can keep everyone updated." She offered him a small smile. "I have to go. I'll let your friends back in."

Edward had no idea why Bella didn't like her. She wasn't that bad.

With Bella tucked back into his side, he continued his conversation with his friends, until his eyes started dropping. Bella raked her finger through his hair, lulling him to sleep. At some point he thought he heard his mother's voice, but he was too tired to wake and see if she was really there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.
> 
> Many asked about Edward being hand-cuffed...well this chapter explains it. They police usually act as a precautions in most cases, before they investigate.

Next time Edward came around was to an acute pain from his surgery. It didn't take him long to see Bella wrapped around him. Her knee might have been the culprit since it was resting near his groin.

As he stared at her pretty face, he realized she was having a bad dream. Her face was scrunched up as if in pain and her arms around him tightened. Small whimpering noises left her mouth.

"Bella. You need to wake up," he said softly. It hurt to turn around but gritting his teeth he did do. "Bella, I'm here."

Slowly, her tense body relaxed, and she opened her eyes.

"Hey," he greeted her, watching her worried. "Do you remember what you were dreaming?"

Confused at his question, Bella shrugged, snuggling better into his arms. Suddenly she shot up.

"You were gone!" she gasped, tears pooling in her eyes.

"That's highly impossible. I can barely move without pain radiating from my wound."

Sidetracked, Bella made to call for the nurse, but Edward stopped her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

"I hope so."

"That asshole Judge won't take me away," Edward said seriously. He had to talk to the Judge in the morning, when his fate would be decided.

"If he sends you to jail…"

"Bella, I'm pretty confident he won't. I talked to Emmett and your brother. He should absolve me of everything for helping in Ben's gang catching. The police have been after them for years. I think I even deserve a medal of honor." He looked quite smugly.

"You definitely hit your head." She giggled.

Pleased to hear her laugh, Edward hugged her tightly. "Let's sleep, baby. I need to be awake and with a clear mind when that idiot comes over to visit."

Bella nodded. "Night." She kissed his neck, snuggling closer. He pecked the top of her head.

Some hours later, he was brutally woken up by his father. After pursing his lips at the sight of Bella still asleep next to Edward, Carlisle started taking things out of a travel bag—toothpaste, toothbrush, cleaned, ironed shirt and dress pants, socks and a change of underwear, along with soap and towels.

"What's this?" Edward frowned.

"You need to look your best at a process. Have you forgotten?"

"This isn't the court, Dad."

"It's a real trial. Be a good sport and cooperate. Be thankful it's me doing this. I persuaded the nurse to allow me to wash you."

Glancing at Bella—still asleep, Edward felt a blush spreading on his cheeks.

"I need to piss," he mumbled to his father.

"Need help standing up?"

"Yes. Last time I tried, I nearly face-planted. Em was here, thankfully."

"No face-planting before seeing the Judge. He might think you got into a brawl." Carlisle's eyes twinkled with glee.

"With the floor." Bella's small voice said from behind them. "Good morning, sir." She had become somewhat friends with Edward's father, but he still scared her.

Once Bella was gone under the pretext that she needed a shower, Carlisle took care of his son. As his father methodically washed his torso, down his legs, being careful with his cut, Edward mused aloud that he'd never given him a bath as a child.

"I failed you on so many levels, son. I always thought wives should stay home and raise children." He looked remorsefully at Edward.

"That shooting lesson came in handy the other night." Edward smiled, bracing on his dad's shoulder as he helped him get dressed.

"I had no idea what to do for fun that day. I'm glad I took you shooting targets though."

"Me too. Thanks, Dad."

They were done. Edward was dressed smart, clean and shaved. After a visit from his doctor, he was cleared to have his visitor.

The Judge was as strict as ever. He tried to point out all of Edward's felonies, but his father—present as his lawyer—brought arguments in favor of absolving his son of all convictions.

"Young man, you have quite the rap sheet here and the last stunt you pulled put you here in the hospital. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Your honor, I know that I did lots of bad things, but living with a cop for a semester changed me. He made me see how my actions were affecting not only me but the ones around me as well. I'm not going to go back to my old habit, I promise. This time I did it to help the police."

"Yes, you helped the police catch you in act."

When Edward opened his mouth to retort, Carlisle placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't say another word." He turned to address to the Judge. "Your honor, my son has done some bad things, but as his DA, I'm entitled to work his case and have him absolved of all charges."

The Judge waved for Carlisle to keep talking.

"Let's remember why exactly he is here, shall we? He's in the hospital because he got shot _helping_ the police catch a gang of dangerous criminals, and had it not been for him, more people would've been hurt or worse.

"As you can see, he did plead guilty for the charges brought against him, but given that his good actions overweight the bad ones, I'd say he needs to be acquitted."

After the longest two hours of Edward's life, the Judge was gone, and his record was squeaky clean once again. He promised his father to buy him a beer for saving his ass, to which Carlisle said loudly, "When you're twenty-one."

"Of course." Edward laughed loudly.

"Now you have to stay out of trouble. Do you think you can do that?" He fixed his blue eyes on his son's green ones. "If this happens again I might even charge you. And let me tell you, son, I'm not the cheapest lawyer in Chicago."

Edward was fighting against his smile. "Lately I even started questioning whether you were really a lawyer. You know, with your other business…"

"Being a lawyer is what saved me so many times. It's my job. The other part sort of came with your mother—her dowry, if you want to call it that."

"Do I have to do it too? Cuz after the other night…" Edward shuddered.

"You don't have to do anything, son. Why do you think we both fought so hard to keep you out of trouble. Your grandpa kept hinting at you joining us, but I told him you're not interested and that school was your thing."

"Well, I do like school…some classes."

"Good thing I didn't lie." Carlisle wrapped his arms around his son, hugging him tightly. "When I saw you bleeding, I regretted all the times I waved you out of my way, too busy with work. I could see all these scenes passing through my mind like a bad movie."

"I'm fine, Dad. Well, sort of."

Pulling him at arm length, Carlisle looked him in the eye. "The doctor said you're healing fast. But the second you're cleared to fly, we're taking the private jet back home. I know the best doctors."

The door opened, interrupting their moment. Esme stared at them surprised before quickly joining them and wrapping her arms around both—husband and son.

Since Edward had always been close to his parents—or as close as his father allowed—he loved having them around. He was extremely happy for whoever might have talked to the hospital's manager to let someone stay with him overnight. It was usually Bella—not that he minded, or his mother.

He had to sit alone on his hospital bed for a few hours once his parents left to talk to his doctor and see when he'd be released, then to go and talk back home to have someone prepared to take care of their boy.

Edward was clicking away on the remote control, flipping through the few channels the TV caught, but nothing grabbed his attention. Then the door opened and he forgot about his boredom. Bella was carrying a heavy bag from the looks of it, and he hated being unable to rush to her and help.

She beamed at him. "I hear you're a free man."

"Yup." He nodded proudly. "All thanks to Dad. The Judge was all for sending my ass to jail."

"Oh, I'm glad he didn't." She sat next to him, taking his hand. "How are you?"

"Honestly? Bored to death. I could eat an elephant. And I hate not being able to move on my own."

"That's quite the list. I can help with one thing." She winked, producing a jar from the bag, along with a spoon. "I made you soup."

He eyed the yellowish liquid warily. "I see. You're here to finish what Ben started."

Bella slapped his thigh with all her might. "I'm not poisoning you! Your mom helped me, if you must know."

"I feel much better now. Frankly, Bella, I've seen you in the kitchen." He shivered for effect.

"Not all of us are born chefs." She huffed, pushing the jar in his hands. "Eat. I'm not sure if the hospital allows food from the outside."

Opening the jar, Edward moaned at the heavenly smell—chicken soup. As he carried spoonful after spoonful, Bella updated him on the outside world.

"Jimmy's still mourning the loss of his colleague, like the whole local police. Your cousin went back to Chicago at everyone's insistence—he's a newlywed and spending time away from his wife." She shook her head, biting her lip. Edward nodded in agreement, wolfing at his food. Soup had never tasted so good. His first real food since he was admitted in the hospital.

"Oh, did you hear about Jake?" Bella wondered softly.

"No." Edward eyed her worried. "Did he get in trouble?"

"It's kind of his fault everything that happened. After that first crazy night when you got shot, and then when we knew you'd be alright, Jimmy took him to the station. He spent the night in locked up."

"Someone bailed him out?"

"Better. He got a lawyer without asking for one."

"Dad?" Edward gasped in disbelief.

"Yes. Though, he couldn't do much. They won't send him to prison, but he has to do community service for three months."

Edward whistled, setting the empty jar on the bedside table. "He escaped this stinky situation very good."

"Everyone's been telling him that. Jeez, Edward, I've never seen him so scared as the time Jimmy cuffed him and read him his rights as he hauled him out of the hospital."

"I wish I was there to see it."

"And stop my brother."

"At the time I was angry with Jake, but then I thought better and realized even if Jake and you and Fredonia didn't happen, I'd still have ended up facing Ben—one way or another. We had unfinished business."

"He was mentally unstable!"

"Possibly." He shrugged.

"I know," Bella whispered. "Nate, one of Jimmy's colleagues questioned me about the whole thing since I was directly involved."

"You didn't tell me!" Edward muttered, annoyed. "What did they do?"

"Nate only asked me stuff about what I was doing while you were racing. How did Ben get me? What happened when you came to rescue me, stuff like that. I was so tired and numb that I'm glad he asked me before I got sleep. I doubt I'd have been able to respond to his questions after a night's sleep."

"Oh, baby. I'm so sorry you were involved. I wanted to kill him when I realized he got you."

"He recognized Brady," she whispered.

"I know. It was an uncalculated move from him."

"Well, Brady told the police—his ex-colleagues—that it was his fault everything that happened. He even resigned. He blamed his resign on his accident, but I know he felt guilty about ruining the police operation."

"And how do we know it wouldn't have gotten to me injured, or Ben trying to kidnap you? He saw me with you, and he'd never seen me that way with anyone. Sure there had been chicks, wishing me good luck before a race, but he could tell I felt differently about you."

"Can we not talk about that?"

"Sure." He smiled and opened his arms for her to snuggle there.

"Oh, I brought you this. You know, to keep you company." Bella searched through her bag and produced her Christmas present for Edward—Betty's replica.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.

Three months later found Edward and Bella back in Chicago studying for the upcoming tests in the following week. Ever since they returned, they'd been closer than never before. Because Edward had to spend another two weeks in the Chicago hospital, apart from the other three he had spent in Fredonia's hospital, Bella was faced to having to go to his school alone. Alice took it upon herself to be her bodyguard. Not like anyone dared to even look at Bella, knowing she was Edward's girl, and everyone knew the brawly boy not the mushy version he had become ever since falling in love.

At the moment, Bella was spread on Edward's bed with textbooks opened around her as she was trying to figure out how to solve the complicated logarithms.

"Edward, did you finish exercise F? I have no idea how to extract the square root of this stupid logarithm," Bella mumbled, frowning at the notebook in front of her. When she got no answer, she raised her eyes to see her boyfriend slouched in his desk chair, twirling Betty's key on the top, looking deep in thought. "Hey!" she hissed.

His startled green eyes found hers. "What?"

"Did you finish homework?"

"Yes. Ages ago. While you were at Alice's."

"Oh, even the math problems?"

He smirked. "Why, Miss Swan, I think you want to cheat."

Bella pursed her lips. "Just help me with this…I have no idea how to extract the root."

Edward immediately sprang off the chair and fell unceremoniously next to her on the bed. After planting a loud kiss to her shoulder, he proceeded to explain how to solve the exercise.

She was in awe at how smart he was, but how lazy he could be when it came to school work. He always finished his homework last minute, and in classes, sometimes he even started contradicting the teacher about the way he got to the result when Edward found a simpler method. Of course, the teacher usually snapped back telling him that his was the classic method and won't have any of his students cheating. Bella thought it was stupid. If Edward got to the same result, writing less and making it look a lot simpler why bother with the longer explanation? He even got sent to the principal's office after such a fight with the Math teacher.

"I've been thinking," she mused, watching as he scribbled on her notebook.

"Yeah?"

"You should become a teacher—I always understand when you explain things to me."

Edward's face twisted. "No. Teachers are stupid."

"So you don't know what you want to do in life?" She asked, propping her head in her palm.

"Sure I do." He glanced at her amused.

Bella raised an eyebrow at him, expecting a lame answer like contributing at world peace or becoming a professional racer. It would be typical Edward.

"I want to help Jasper develop his garage into that restoration car store he's dreaming of. So I'm hoping to get a letter back from the Business program I applied to."

"I had no idea," she mumbled, staring at him in shock. "I still want a degree in Geography, but I don't know if I'll actually pursuit my dream-job since I was little."

"You can be a tour guide anywhere, baby. Done." He put the pen down, beaming at her. "Want to do something?"

Her cheeks pinked. "You know how I feel about that with your parents under the roof."

"For a first, I wasn't thinking about sex." Edward smirked at her. "But I can always lock the door."

"No." Bella stared at his amused face for a while. "What did you have in mind?"

A huge smile spread on his face. "Thought you'd never ask. As a matter of fact I know about your shopping trip with Alice."

"Don't remind me. My feet hate her."

"Well, I was thinking we could put the dress you bought to good use."

"Were you part of that impromptu shopping trip?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"No way. I just want to do something nice for you."

"And what's that? I only want to stay here with you." She pouted as Edward went to his desk, rummaging through one of the drawers.

"Ta-Da!" He showed her two cards just as the door of his room opened. He quickly hid the fake IDs behind his back, smiling innocently at his father. "Hey, Dad."

"I don't think I want to know," the older man muttered, eyeing his son suspiciously. "I need to meet with a client. Your mom is still at the pizzeria. You know, end of the month stuff."

"Okay…"

"Here." Carlisle gave his son a gift card with De Marco's name on it. "We never got around to using it this month. There are two more days left of the month."

"Oh, thanks." Edward grinned. "Free food."

"I figured you'd appreciate it. Take Bella and try number seven." Winking at the teens, he left.

"What's number seven?" Bella asked curiously.

"No clue. Want to go? I can't believe I didn't take you to Mom's restaurant, yet."

"Sure. I'd like to go. What were you showing me earlier?"

"These." He approached the bed, handing her the fake IDs. "I talked to Jazz and he knows someone…it's quite a new club so I think we're safe. If you want to go."

"Now I know why Alice insisted I buy that dress and the boots." Bella sighed heavily.

"So are we doing this? Like a real date? Wine and dine then dancing?"

Bella crawled to the foot of the bed and wrapped her arms around his middle. "If you change the wine with soda. We can drink something else at the club."

"Who are you and what have you done to that innocent girl I met last year?"

"You corrupted her."

Grinning, Edward bent his head to kiss her. "Get dressed, because if I push you down on the bed, we'll never leave."

She blushed furiously but listened to him. As much as she loved making love to him, the prospect of a date didn't sound bad. They hadn't gone on a date yet.

Half an hour later, Bella was dressed in the black darling bow dress she had bought on her shopping trip with Alice, along with the six inches high red boots. She shuddered at the memory of Alice advising her in buying shoes—to make sure the heel was longer than her boyfriend's dick. Bella had refused to let Alice know that she'd probably break her neck if she ever stepped in nine inch heels.

"Are you about ready?" Edward asked, knocking on his bathroom door.

"I think I'm taller than you," Bella answered amused, opening the door.

"Whoa!" He stared at her with glazed-over eyes. "You look so fucking beautiful, baby."

"I do?" She stared down at her simple dress and her too high shoes. "You scrub up pretty good too."

He was wearing dark blue jeans, a lime shirt, paired with his usual black Converse and his leather jacket.

"Thanks." Edward smiled bashfully, offering his hand. On the way out the room, he grabbed her jacket too.

"Stairs," Bella whimpered as she wobbled along her boyfriend down the hallway.

He laughed and without thinking twice, he bent and scooped her up. "There."

"Edward!"

"What, we're alone," he answered seriously. Once in the foyer, he put her back on her feet, smirking playfully. "Your knight in…leather jacket at your disposal, my fair lady," he joked, making a reverence.

Bella burst out laughing. "Knight in leather jacket?"

"What? It's true." He pointed to his clothes. "Come on." He locked up before helping Bella to the garage. Her ankles kept twisting and she feared she'd sprain one of them by the end of the night.

Edward cruised leisurely through Chicago's late evening traffic, pointing out to Bella different attractions or store he had robbed, joking about the poor security. She was surprised to hear him talk so casually about everything, but that was Edward. He didn't care anymore about his past, but he had learned from it.

He parked in front of De Marco's, and before he took his seatbelt off, a valet appeared at his window. When the man saw who was in the car, he immediately opened the door, bowing slightly.

"Mr. Cullen. Welcome back!"

"Hello," Edward said coolly, not liking the attention. "Take care of her."

"Sure will do, sir." The valet nodded seriously.

Ignoring the usual uneasy feeling of leaving Betty on unknown hands, Edward went to Bella's side. She was already out of the car, trying to keep her equilibrium.

"As nice as your heels are, maybe you should have worn sneakers."

"It would have looked odd—nice dress and sports shoes."

"You already got me. No need to impress me, baby." He led her inside the pizzeria with an arm around her shoulders. "You should wear what's comfortable, baby."

"I'll remember that for next time," she said softly.

"Good evening, Mr. Cullen!" A well-groomed hostess welcomed them upon their entrance. She gave Bella a look of superiority, before turning her smiling face to Edward.

"Hey, Karen. I'd like a private booth," Edward told her.

After clicking on her computer, she beamed at him. "There's one table at the window over there, and one booth in the alcove."

"Alcove." He turned to wink at Bella. "Lots of privacy there."

"How do you know? Taken someone else here?"

He frowned at her, not understanding the sudden hostility. "Believe it or not, I only had Jazz and Ally here as company."

"Oh." She hung her head in shame, following Karen to their allotted table. "I'm sorry. She's too friendly," Bella whispered to Edward who was still looking at her concerned.

"She can dream on," he whispered back. "You're the only one for me, baby."

"That's very reassuring to hear."

When they stopped at their table, Bella rose on her tiptoes and kissed her boyfriend more daringly than she'd have usually done it in public. Karen was gaping at them when they separated. Bella's triumph didn't last long, because Karen made scarce after blurting out their waitress would be with them soon.

"Odd," Edward muttered, frowning after her retreating form. Shrugging it off, he gestured for Bella to slide in the booth. He'd always loved this alcove made of stone—it truly gave a romantic and private feeling.

"I heard you dropped by. I wanted to see for myself," Esme's voice said cheerfully from behind them.

Edward gasped and turned to face his mother. "Mom! Hi."

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," Bella murmured shyly.

"Sweetie, it's Esme. We talked about this. Anything I can get you?" she asked happily.

Edward felt mortified, his ears turning a deep magenta. "Mom, we're on a date!"

"Oh, of course. Let me call Dom to set the table nicely."

"Mom, the table is perfect." He narrowed his eyes at her, silently praying she got the message.

"Of course. Silly me." As she turned to go, Edward grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry. It's just…" He glanced at Bella who was studiously ignoring them, admiring the paintings on the walls. "What's on menu seven? Dad recommended it." He showed her the gift card.

"It's your favorite—pizza with salami, corn, tomatoes and lots of mozzarella. Also, there's bruschetta for appetizer and crème brûlée for dessert."

"We'll take that. Oh, and some soda."

"I'll let Dom know." She patted his cheek, before retreating to the kitchen area.

"You shouldn't have told her off," Bella murmured.

"But it's odd. We're on a date and my mom offered to serve us. It's my fault for bringing you here."

Bella shook her head. "This place is amazing. I love everything about it—the decorations, the ambient, the music. Thank you."

"Wait till you taste the food."

Dom appeared at their table bringing sodas and glasses. He left in a hurry only to return with bruschetta.

"What's this?" Bella pointed to the slices of bread with tomatoes. Edward went on to explain. She seemed fascinated by how much her boyfriend knew about cooking, while she barely knew how to fry eggs.

During their meal, Edward told her about the history of the pizzeria—he knew it since it was an empty space not looking very nice, but he'd witnessed its transformation.

As Bella chewed on a slice of pizza, an idea came to her. Edward looked deep in thought, and she crossed her legs under the table before slowly running the tip of her boot over his leg. He jumped visibly, turning to smirk at her.

"You're naughty tonight."

"I can't wait to go dancing."

"If you continue like this, I'll take you home and dance with you between the sheets." His hand clamped on her knee, slowly creeping up. At that precise moment, Esme decided to drop by, simply asking if they were enjoying the meal.

"Fabulous," Edward commented, not moving his hand.

"What about you, dear? Did you like it?" she asked Bella, smiling kindly.

"It was delicious," she managed to sputter out.

"I hope you left room for dessert. I'll let you enjoy."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Are you going home afterwards?" she asked before turning to go.

"We're meeting with Jazz. Is there a curfew?" he wondered.

"As long as you return home safe and sound, you can come back at whatever hour, honey. Be careful."

Once she was gone, Edward beamed at Bella. "We'll have so much fun!"

When the crème brûlée arrived, he insisted on feeding his girlfriend. Bella couldn't believe he was the same boy who not so long ago had problems with the law. He was extremely sweet and attentive to her, all the time. With his every gesture, he proved his love for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.

_La Rouge Fleur_ was a very select club placed in the downtown area.

Edward and Bella walked inside hand in hand, admiring the vintage look. The walls were dark with a grey design of curbed vines going round the room. Small round tables made of dark red wood were dotted around the large room, some had booths—the corner ones—and the others had bean bags. The bar was against the back wall made of red and black wood. An array of bottles displayed behind the counter and many glasses hanging from above it.

"Cool, uh?" Jasper asked excitedly, looking around.

"It is," Edward agreed.

"Tonight only friends are coming over, that's why he allowed you to come. He's very strict with this age thing, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to come back once it opens to public."

"Don't worry, Jazz."

"Let me introduce you." Jasper walked ahead, chatting away.

"I'm really starting to regret wearing these," Bella mumbled, dragging her feet across the floor. "But I really like this place. It was a good idea to come."

"Makes you wish you were twenty-one already?" Edward mused, looking around. "I bet it's super expensive, but a few times a month it would be nice to come here."

"I'm sure you can afford it. I still can't believe the police actually gave you the money you won after the race!"

"What? It was honest money. I got shot."

Bella pursed her lips, slapping his shoulder. "Don't remind me." She shivered, hugging him tightly, before sagging into his side.

He brought her closer, kissing her forehead. "One thing I like about your heels. I can kiss you without getting a backache."

"Stop being mean."

"I'm not mean. I'm teasing."

"My feet are aching. I don't care of the advantages of the heels right now. All I want is to take them off."

"Public indecency?" Jasper asked amused, overhearing the end of their discussion.

"Unless you're into bare feet, then there's nothing indecent about me wanting my boots off," Bella grumbled, shifting on her feet.

"Ah, Alice's doing." Jasper nodded. "Come on. We'll sit in this booth." He waved them to corner. "It's near the stage and Neil said he had a surprise."

"Oh, a live band?" Bella immediately forgot about her throbbing feet.

"Yes, though I have no idea which one. What would you like to drink?"

"Surprise us. And weren't you going to introduce us to this guy?" Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Neil's in the office with Maria and Tanya. They're his waitresses, and he's giving them last minute instructions." Jasper grinned.

"And Alice?" Bella wondered, falling in the booth and moaning loudly.

"She's in the storage room. I'm going to rescue her first."

Edward took a seat next to Bella, spreading his long legs under the table and draping his arm over her shoulder. "How's the date so far?" He nuzzled against her ear.

"It's perfect. Why didn't we do this before?"

"Because I was an idiot."

"No, you're not and you never were one. Thank you for tonight." She leaned over to kiss him.

Someone stopped by their table. Looking up, Bella and Edward saw a tall woman in her late twenties, her dark blonde hair caught in a ponytail and dressed into a short red dress.

"Hello! Welcome to _La Rouge Fleur_. I'm Tanya and I'll be your waitress tonight."

Looking around, Edward was surprised to see more people had arrived. He always lost track of time around Bella.

"Well, what will you have?" Tanya insisted, tapping her pen to the notepad in her hand.

"A mojito," Bella told her in an even voice, hoping the woman wouldn't question them about their age.

"And a beer," Edward added, twirling a string of Bella's hair on his finger.

"Anything specific?" Tanya asked, looking at him.

He'd drunk only one type when his father offered ages ago—it was his first beer. And there was Jasper's beer, still the same. "Heineken."

"Good. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask." She turned around and clicked away on her ridiculously high heels, leaving a trail of strong perfume in her wake.

"So you drink beer and then you'll drive?" Bella questioned, frowning.

"It will be just this one beer, but if you want I can tell her to bring me soda."

"Nah. One beer."

"One." He grinned and leaned to kiss her deeply.

Later, after their drinks had arrived, Jasper and Alice joined them, both looking flushed. Jasper's shirt was buttoned wrongly and Alice's looked like she'd stuck her fingers in an outlet. It reminded Edward of that Marv dude in _Home Alone 2_ so he chuckled to himself at the thought.

For a first, Edward decided to ignore the state his friends were in, because he knew that Jasper would mock him right back with the first occasion. Besides, he'd do the same if Bella allowed him. He kept imaging her legs wrapper around his neck while she was wearing her red boots. The mere thought of that fantasy made him twitch in his pants.

Edward was halfway through his beer when Neil dropped by their table. He looked to be around thirty, and despite his harsh looks, he turned out to be a great guy. He was tall, bald, with a piercing in his eyebrow and many tattoos covering his arms. Before he left their group, he told Jasper to bring his friends more often, and as long as they had their fake IDs they'd be okay.

"Whoa. He really trusts you," Jasper said astonished once they were alone.

"We give out good vibes. And it helps that we're not starting a fight either," Edward added, looking toward the other side of room when the security and Neil were breaking a row, pushing some from that group out the doors.

"Ed, man, you never gave good vibes." Jasper laughed, shaking his head at his friend.

Edward shrugged, taking a slug of his bottle, relaxing back in the booth. "I want a tattoo," he mused aloud.

"You'll have to wait until I open my parlor. I'll be very upset if you go to someone else!" Alice hissed. She was slightly tipsy after her second Bloody Mary.

"Ally, no offence, but I won't trust you with a needle. Not until I see you can work it."

"What would you want to get?" Bella asked, hoping to break their argument. Alice could be quite the hothead and knowing Edward, he wouldn't back down either.

She smiled, thinking of how Edward knew they'd become friends. Despite Alice's love for smoking, drinking and being too lazy for her own good, she was a great person. She kept trying to corrupt Bella to start smoking but every time Edward overheard them, he flipped.

"My girls, obviously," Edward answered, grinning widely.

Jasper raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean girl, surely—singular."

"Nope. Plural. I've been thinking about this. One would be placed here on my arm," he patted his forearm, "so I can see her all the time. The other here, where she belongs." He touched his chest, the spot above his heart.

Bella smiled watery at him, snuggling closer. "Aren't you scared?"

"Bella, I've been through so much, really, some needles don't scare me. Think of the outcome."

"Who's the other chick? And why are you so cool about this?" Jasper questioned Bella, surprised.

"You're so freaking dense, dude!" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm no longer jealous on Betty."

"Betty," Jasper mumbled in disbelief, his eyes cutting to his friend. "You've got to be kidding. You want to tat your car on your arm?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Jasper shook his head, standing. "Let's dance, Ally."

"Don't mind him. I think it's sweet," Bella whispered to Edward when she saw him frowning.

"Good, because I don't give a fuck about what he thinks. Want to dance too?"

She nodded, beaming ta him. Slowly, they made their way to the middle of the club and started moving to the song the band was playing. It was an unknown band, but they knew their covers very good. Edward made a mental note to ask Jasper or Neil, because he had to get their music if they had it on sale.

As the hours passed, Edward switched to soda, and Bella tried Vodka Cranberry which made her giggly and more uninhibited in her behavior. While dancing, she moved sinuously along Edward's body, touching him all over, grinding against him, simply driving crazy with lust.

"We're going home," he declared when she stumbled over his legs upon her return form the bathroom with Alice. His friend was in the same state, if not worse. Jasper didn't seem to care, even enjoying the way Alice was all over him.

"Aw, party pooper." Bella pouted, falling on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You look so pretty."

"Bella, baby, you're drunk." Edward let his forehead fall against hers. "Let's go home."

When she lifted her head grinning, he thought he got her to agree, but she was waving wildly to someone. "Look, there's Tanya."

Professional as ever, Tanya approached their table. "Another round?" Her smile was in place, but she was eyeing both girls warily.

"Yep. Another Vodka!" Bella cheered, catching Alice's eye and they dissolved in a fit of giggles.

Edward grabbed Tanya's wrist. "Water. Two bottles."

She nodded, relaxing before leaving.

"Oh, let them have fun," Jasper protested.

"I don't care if you accept this behavior from Alice, but I doubt Bella's been drunk before. I'd rather sleep tonight than spend the night in the bathroom, holding her hair."

"Lucky Ally keeps it short."

Edward kicked his friend under the table.

Tanya returned with the water, and before she could depart Edward asked for the bill. She waved him off. "Tonight's on the house. It's refreshing to see teenagers so smart." She pointed to the bottles of water. "I hope you enjoyed it here."

"It was fun!" Jasper said loudly, raising his beer. "Thank Neil again from us."

"Will do." She nodded, smiled at them again then disappeared in the crowd.

Once Bella had downed her water at Edward's insistence, he took her hand. "We're leaving. I'll drop by next week at some point at the garage," he told Jasper.

"Thanks, man. I really need help."

He'd managed to take some of the cars that were part of the races in Fredonia and was working on them. One of the cars was Ben's burnt Plymouth. The police didn't even blink when Jasper asked for it.

Out in the night's air, Bella sobered up a little while they walked to Betty.

"Feeling better?" Edward asked quietly, keeping an arm around her.

"I guess. I have no idea what got over me—drinking so much."

"It's okay, really. Being rebellious and all that shit." He winked, unlocking the passenger's door before helping her inside. "I've been through this stage, I guess you helped me grow up." He planted a loud and wet kiss on her forehead.

When he slid next to her inside the car, Bella took his hand. "Jimmy kept me so sheltered. I always loved going to Jake's. I had fun there."

"I guess I understand him. James, I mean. He brought you up, didn't he?" Edward bit his lip, not sure if it was wise to broach that subject. They still hadn't talked about her parents, and he wasn't pestering her about it.

"Yes, he's a saint." She sighed sadly, letting her head fall against the window.

Hating to have ruined her happy mood, Edward drove in silence.

The roads were deserted at one in the morning, but Edward had no urge to speed. A part of him found it odd, but then he remembered Bella was there and she hated speed. He still couldn't believe she got sick at high speed.

"Can you drive a little faster?" Her small voice pulled him from thoughts of her hating speed.

"Sorry. I think I didn't hear right."

"Faster, not ninety miles per hour, but a little faster. I need to pee."

Laughing heartily, Edward shifted the gear and advanced smoothly through the empty roads. "Thought you'd never say faster in this context."

She scowled at him. "Don't make me laugh."

"Don't strain Betty," he warned her, pressing his foot on the acceleration.

Bella squirmed, the engine's hum making things worse.

When he finally stopped in the driveway, he handed Bella the house keys saying he'd park Betty then join her, only to leave the door cracked for him. She rushed out of the car, the second it stopped.

Edward couldn't help but laugh some more. She was too funny.

Parking Betty next to his father's Merc, Edward jumped out, patted the hood in an almost loving way before walking to the front door, hands in his pockets.

Bella was on the stairs inside, rubbing her ankle when Edward stepped inside.

"Shit. Did you fall?" he asked worried, crouching next to her.

"Stupid heels," she managed to mumble.

"Come on." He picked her up and carried her to his room. "You still need to pee?"

"Yup." She nodded, taking her boots off when he sat on the toilet seat.

"There. Can you manage on your own?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Winking, Edward grabbed her shoes and left the bathroom. He waited on the other side of the door, listening for any sounds in case she fell off the toilet. There would definitely be no fun that night. Bella had to sleep it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.
> 
> Two more chapters left.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.

"I want to go home for Easter break," Bella announced loudly as they were working on their late dinner.

The last day of school before break had been the longest in existence, and they wanted to relax with a movie and fries.

"Aw, but I already talked to Jazz. We're going to one of his friend's cottage a few miles south."

"I know, but I want to go home. You don't have to come with me."

Edward frowned, taking his eyes off the frying potatoes. "I don't want to spend the holiday apart. And since when do you want to spend more time than necessary around Victoria?"

"I want home to be with Jimmy. April is a bad month for us."

"Why's that?" Edward rolled his eyes. "If you want, we're going to Fredonia."

Bella narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't know anything."

"Why are we fighting? What's wrong? Why do you want to go home so much?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she abandoned the strips of bacon she was preparing for frying. "Because in April…it's… uh, our parents…." She gulped thickly. "I need to be with my brother and you don't even care."

"I do," Edward protested softly, realizing why the fuss about going home. _Why couldn't_ _she tell him from the beginning?_ Girls were so confusing.

"No, you don't. You think it's a joke and prefer to spend the holiday apart from your family…with friends doing who knows what."

"I don't even know these guys that well. They're Jasper's friends, and I just told you I'll come with you."

Bella glared at him before storming out of the kitchen, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"The fuck?" he muttered, turning off the stove.

"What have you done, honey?" Esme asked as she made her way into the kitchen. "I just passed Bella on my way down and she looked distressed."

Turning to face his mother, he lifted one shoulder. "I told her about the plan on going away with Jazz."

"And she doesn't want?"

"She wants to go back home and won't tell me why until she finally admitted it had to do with her parents. How the fuck could I have known?"

"Her parents?" Esme cocked her head to the side. "She never mentioned them."

"That's because I think they're dead. We never talked about it."

"You know what I think? You should go and talk to her. I'm sure you'll both feel better once she tells you everything." She strode to the stove. "I'll finish here and bring it to your room later."

"Thanks, Mom. How do you always know what to say?"

"It's a mom-thing. Now go, honey." She ushered him to the stairs.

Edward stopped in front of his room and stared at the door. He raised his hand to knock but berated himself at how silly he was. Pressing the door handle, he opened it and looked around. Bella was on his bed, face down, sobbing into a pillow.

Apprehensively, he approached her and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. What could he say? _Sorry_ —it was probably not strong enough.

"I had no idea, baby. You never told me," he started in a soothing voice.

Bella sniffed and rolled on her side to see him. Her eyes were blotchy and red. Wiping under them, she sat up, leaning against the headboard, hugging her knees to her chest. Edward sat in front of her, crossing his legs.

"Truthfully, it's never a good time to talk about that. I'm sorry I snapped, when it's my fault," she said quietly.

"I understand it's a…sore subject."

"To put it mildly." Bella took a shuddering breath. "Well, where to begin?" She looked lost in thought, staring at the top of her knees. "About ten years ago, there was this crazy guy killing people in our area. He was called Thirteen Strike—the name he gave himself."

Edward had suspected it was bad, but not that bad. He kept his mouth shut, waiting for Bella to continue.

"I was eight back then, so I didn't really understand the full meaning of what was going on. I remember that day so clearly, I wish I didn't." Sighing heavily she glanced at Edward. "Jimmy was back from college, on Easter break, and I'd missed him, so I kept pestering him to take me to the cinema and ice cream. On a very warm Saturday he finally caved and took me to the cinema. _The Girl Next Door_ was running, and I remember that I didn't like it. I was too young for that shit, but it appeared Jimmy loved it. We had fun. He then took me to ice cream and bought me a big one, then we stopped at a store and he got me a stuffed giraffe. I couldn't wait to go home and show it to Mommy and Daddy." She stopped talking, burrowing her face in her knees.

"Shh." Edward crawled to her and took her frame in his arms, slowly rocking them from side to side. "You don't have to tell me everything."

"Yes I do, Edward. I never talked about it," she admitted between sobs, leaning into his chest. "When we arrived home it was early evening, and the second Jimmy stopped the car—we had an old thing back then, it was falling apart—I sprang out, clutching my new toy."

He smiled at the image of a little Bella running excitedly to the front door, clutching her giraffe, but then he sobered, realizing what she must have found inside the house. He ran his hand over her back, hoping it gave her comfort when he had no idea what to say.

"Jimmy shouted after me to wait for him. His voice was strained and I had no idea why, but I stopped on the path and waited for him. I remember he moved me behind him as he inched closer to the house. I kept asking what was wrong but he didn't reply." Bella bit her lip glancing up at her boyfriend. "He told me to wait on the porch, and then he disappeared inside."

"You didn't listen."

"Of course not. On the door, carved in the wood was the killer's name: 13 STRIKES. He always attacked on the thirteenth of the month at thirteen hundred." Chills ran up her spine as she remembered the moment she saw the door. Young Bella knew that if she went into her home she'd find something terrible. "Jimmy ran directly to their room, but as I followed him inside, I went to the living room. They were there." She gasped, closing her eyes.

"Dead?" Edward whispered, his heart breaking for his girlfriend.

"Yes," she sobbed, burrowing further into him. "They were on the couch, side by side, their heads touching, holding hands. Their eyes were wide open and so…opaque. I stood in front of them, gaping at them, not saying a thing, just staring and willing them to move, to ask about my toy, to ask why Jimmy was shouting so loudly from somewhere in the house."

"Oh, Bella."

"Jimmy barged in the living room, stopping in his tracks, bewildered then quickly came to my side and fell to his knees, hugging me tightly. I petted his head, not really understanding why my big and strong brother was weeping like a baby. Then he asked me if I knew what was going on, and I so nonchalantly said that Mommy and Daddy were gone. It made him cry harder." Bella shivered, at the memory. "What came next is very fuzzy in my head. The police and FBI were involved. I've never seen my brother so drained and helpless as back then. He was constantly talking to people—the police, the FBI, the neighbors, parents of my school friends… There was Special Agent Sally stuck with the little cry baby, but he didn't seem to mind. He told me that his wife was expecting a baby and staying with me qualified as experience. He made me smile in that fucked-up situation. Of course, for me it didn't mean much…anything. I was too young to fully understand what was going on, to grasp why my parents weren't in the kitchen every morning, why Mommy wasn't bathing me, why Daddy wasn't tucking me in and reading me stories."

"I can't even imagine how it was for you," Edward said quietly.

"Difficult to adjust…to put it mildly. And then…one day it was just me and Jimmy. We usually had someone dropping by every day, but then one day it stopped. I think about a year had passed."

"What about your brother's school? You said he was in college."

"He put it on hold until he figured out what was going on home. After my fourth grade, Jimmy decided we needed some time away from Fredonia and the bad memories. He'd enrolled to Glendale Community College in Law Enforcement. It was summer when we packed and took the old rusty car to Phoenix. We stayed in Phoenix for the duration of his college. He always came home to me, always apologizing when he had to stay more than he had promised." Bella shook her head, slightly amused. "If I come to think, now, he never went out. If he had friends…I had no idea. It was just us. School-home-battling depression-sleep and repeat."

"I thought you went to Phoenix for Brady…not that you lived there."

"Yeah, well. A girl has to keep some secrets."

Edward sighed, relaxing a little. The storm was over. He tightened his arms around her, kissing her head. "Thanks for telling me this."

"I feel so much better. I kept this bottled up so much… God, what an idiot. Jimmy told me a thousand times to talk about it."

"I'm sure it's difficult, Bella. So when he graduated you went back to the little town?"

"Yes. It was home, Edward. I missed it. I missed my friends."

"How was it like going back inside the house?' he wondered, curiously.

"Odd." She giggled. "I was old enough to know better, but I remember checking the door—now clean and polished—then peeking into the living room, all the while clutching to Jimmy's hand."

"It was normal."

"I lived there for months after it happened. Anyway, we slowly got back on the right track, and readjusted to living in that house. And when everything was better, Brady happened. It was so unexpected, it blew me away. Then when I was getting better after Brady, you appeared in my life and it was perfect."

"Then you found out I was into racing."

"And you got shot. I don't think I can take another shock. It's too much too fast."

"We're going to Fredonia for Easter break," he told her seriously, nuzzling her neck. "Anything you want, baby. I'm here. Just talk to me."

"I love you," Bella whispered, turning to face him, straddling his hips.

"As I love you." Taking her face gently in his hands, he leaned to kiss her.

"Make love to me. Please. I need to feel you close."

"Wait here. I need to make sure Mom won't come upstairs." He winked before rushing out the door.

Esme was still in the kitchen working on dessert.

"Hey, Mom. Is dinner done?"

"Did you talk?" she asked, looking anxiously at him. "Is Bella okay?"

"Uh, not exactly. We talked…and it's her story to tell. It's worse than I thought. I'm here to get the food and stay with her."

"Here, honey." She handed him a tray with the plates on it. "Juice?" He nodded, and she grabbed two bottles from the fridge. "Let her know I'm here if she needs someone...aside from you."

"Will do." He went back to his room, footing the door closed then locking it. "I have food."

"I'm hungry, too," Bella acknowledged. "But later. Now I want you."

"Your wish, my command, baby." Grinning wolfishly, Edward jumped on top of her on the bed, kissing her hungrily.

Later that evening, when they resurfaced from Edward's room, Bella was stolen by Esme for girl talk, and Edward went to his father to get plane tickets for Flagstaff. It turned out all tickets were sold out, but Carlisle kept giving him alternatives. Edward didn't seem interested in any until an idea came to him.

"I know!" he shouted making his father jump, startled. "We're driving."

"Most definitely not."

"Come on, Dad."

"I hate to say it, but I don't trust you not to speed, son."

"I won't. I promise. Bella hates speed…she gets sick."

"Oh, thank God for small miracles. Fine, fine. Do you need more money? I'll wire you some in the account."

"Thanks." He beamed at his father. "I'll go let Bella know about our upcoming road trip."

Bella turned out to be just as excited as him about driving back home. Easter was a week away, but they'd make at least two days, so having decided on leaving, they packed up that night ready to hit the road early in the morning. Edward couldn't wait to drive Betty out in the open road—he'd never done it before.

**OOOO**

Two days later, at sunset Edward parked in front of Bella's house. He stretched his arms in front of him yawning loudly.

"As much fun as this was, I'm exhausted."

"I can drive back," she teased.

"No way. My Betty."

When they got out of the car, James's cruiser pulled up behind them. He was surprised to find visitors—and such visitors.

"Baby sis! What a nice surprise." In a few long strides he was at her side, hugging her tightly. "Edward." He nodded to his sister's boyfriend over her shoulder.

"Hi, Jimmy. I missed you too." Bella greeted him.

"Why are you here?" He wondered, looking between her and Edward. Then, for the first time he realized what car was in the driveway. "You drove here, kid?"

"Looks like it." Edward shrugged, chuckling. "It's tiring as fuck."

"I bet it is. Did you speed at all?" James checked, holding his sister closer to his chest, narrowing his eyes at the teenage boy.

"Your faith in me is astounding."

"He didn't. I had to beg him to hit sixty at times. We'd had never gotten here before nightfall if he cruised leisurely," Bella told James, giggling.

"If you don't like my driving—" Edward stopped talking.

"Yes? Go on, sweetie. Can I drive Betty?" Bella said sweetly.

"No. No one touches her." He scowled. "Listen, can we go inside? I'm about to crash."

James laughed at the teens' banter and helped them with their bags. At Bella's questions about Victoria's whereabouts, Jimmy explained that she had the nightshift, and that he was home only for a little while himself.

While Edward made a beeline to the bathroom to shower so he could finally go to bed, James thanked Bella for dropping by at that time of the year—the time they both hated. She told him they'd always be together on April thirteenth, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :) Also go subscribe to Fictease, I'll add there teasers and pictures.
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.
> 
> One more chapter left.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight isn't mine, but the idea is. I was inspired to write this after a marathon of Fast and Furious. All the songs on the soundtrack helped me create this, so you should check them if you don't know them.
> 
> Many thanks to my dear friends m0t0b33 and TeamAllTwilight for the pre-reader and beta work.

"Dude, this is really awesome!" Emmett clapped Edward's back, looking around the modern kitchen.

Edward gave a small shrug. "Well, it's obvious who's gonna spend quality time in here. I wanted decent shit to work with."

"I wasn't really aware of how loaded aunty and uncle were until they bought this apartment and gave you veto to decorate it."

"Geez, and that took ages," Edward complained, leaning against the black counter, pressing his hands on the edge. "Bella's so damn picky. She has some ideas, which are cute and fun sometimes, but other times…" He shuddered.

"Well, your dream came true, at least. When you finished school you got out of their house." Emmett winked at his cousin before going back to examining the cupboards.

"The plan was different, Cous. But I can't say I don't like how it panned out. But don't you think it's too soon?" He voiced his greatest fears.

"What's too soon?" Emmett asked distracted, having found his favorite snacks.

Edward snatched the bag of chips from his cousin, glaring. "You lived alone for God knows how long…but here I am…"

"I think you're used to living with Bella. You've shared a house for the past year. Believe me, kid, you won't step on each other's toes like it happened with Rosie and me. I wasn't ready to have a persistent, crazy chick invade my privacy, but the more time we spent together I came to realize I liked her there."

"You sound like Jazz. He said something similar to me."

"Exactly. And if something happens—which I know it won't—don't worry. At least, you've moved out of your parents' house." Emmett patted Edward's shoulder sympathetically.

Edward opened his mouth to retort that he wasn't planning on ever breaking up with Bella, but he was afraid what would happen when they'd be alone in the big apartment, what would happen when they had a fight, when things got rough; they'd have to act like grown-ups and talk about it. He didn't feel like a grown-up at eighteen, though he'd probably been through more than an adult had ever been.

His words stuck in his throat when Bella strolled into the kitchen with baby Matthew in her arms. She looked absolutely mesmerizing like that, and Edward couldn't help but gape at the sight in front of him.

Emmett elbowed him in the ribs, making Edward hiss and grab at his side, turning to glare at his cousin who gave him a salacious smile and wiggled his eyebrows.

"If you like the sight, make one of your own," he whispered before pushing off the counter and walking to Bella.

She was hovering in the doorway looking uncertain, but keeping the baby close to her chest, one hand on his small blonde curls and one just under his butt.

"I think it's change time," she said uncertainly. "Rosalie's busy with Alice gushing over my new wardrobe."

"No worries. Daddy Emmett is in the house." He scooped his son from Bella and with another wink at his cousin, he sauntered out of the room.

Edward was still frozen against the counter, staring at his girlfriend with wide eyes.

"Hey, you. I barely saw you today," Bella said softly, walking to him and snuggling into his chest.

Edward finally moved and wrapped his long arms around her, bringing her closer and burrowing his nose in her hair. "Missed you." Kissing her head fondly, Edward pushed Bella at arm's length to look at her. "That was a mighty sight, baby."

"I nearly keeled over when Rose put Matthew in my arms, running after Alice to see the clothes." She stared at him with wide, scared brown eyes.

"You did well. Did you babysit or something?"

"No, actually I've never been around babies."

"Really?" His eyebrows shot up. "Well, me neither, but you're a natural. I'd have probably passed him over to the next person before throwing up. And I'm not sure that's the correct order," he mused, grinning at her.

"It wasn't that bad. I mean we sat on the couch. He's really quiet, thankfully."

"With Em and Rose as his parents? That's a miracle."

Bella giggled, rising on her tiptoes to kiss her boyfriend. Her fingers went into his hair, but before they could get lost in the moment, Rose burst in the kitchen speaking in a no-nonsense tone with Emmett who was trying to soothe a wailing Matthew.

Edward smirked at Bella, proving her he wasn't quiet, before grabbing her hand and trying to slink away. They didn't get too far, before they were involuntary involved in the fuckery that was preparing Matthew's bottle.

When the baby had calmed down and was asleep in one of the guest bedrooms, the four of them returned to the spacious living room where Edward's parents along with Jasper and Alice were sitting around on the many couches and armchairs, talking.

"I ordered pizza. I hope it's okay," Esme informed them.

"It's perfect. I'm starving," Edward told her, grinning. "This place is amazing. Thank you."

"This has been our idea of a graduation gift ever since you said you wanted one like Emmett's when you were older. But in time you made me question this decision, until I realized how serious you were about this darling girl and when you proved how mature you are, with the race, assuming your responsibility so your friends won't get hurt." Carlisle gave his son a proud look.

"All Bella's doing," Edward said quietly, hugging her to his side. She looked embarrassed but smiled nonetheless, wrapping her arm around his waist. Her right hand settled on his stomach where the ugly scar was proof to what could have happened.

"This place is truly great, man," Jasper commented. "Like really fucking awesome." His eyes lingered on the big plasma.

"You know you can come over anytime. We can watch ball or play things." Edward shrugged nonchalantly, but deep down he hated how posh his place was in comparison to his friend's. He knew Jasper's past was sketchy and that he had rented that place with the money he earned legally or not, but it was his money. That reminded him of what he'd been trying to get courage to ask his father for weeks now.

"Hey, Dad?" he inquired.

"Yes, son." Carlisle gave him a warm smile.

"You said you needed help at the office. You know to put all the files in their place…"

"Yes, the new place looks like bomb went off in there. It takes us ages to find anything, and we're all busy so there's no time to actually put the files on the empty shelves."

"Exactly." Edward beamed at him, hoping he'd get the hint.

"That's a great idea, honey!" Esme leaned over to pat her son's knee. "Before he starts college, he can help you at the firm, dear." She turned to her husband, urging him with her eyes to accept the offer.

"Is this what you want, Edward? I'm telling you now, that's a tedious job."

"Yes, Dad. On one condition."

"What do you want?" Carlisle stiffened, expecting some crazy request.

"You're going to hire me. And when all the files will be in their place, I'll still work there…helping with whatever, depending on the amount of free time from school allows me."

Bella stared in awe at her boyfriend. She knew what a hothead he could be, but she'd never seen that trait used for a good cause. He glanced at her and winked.

"Of course, son. We could use the help. It's just the three of us—me, Kate and Garrett. Until we find more associates, we thought we could do it without hiring help, but apparently we can't go on without it. Come by the firm Monday morning."

"Are you sure about this, man? You'll have to wake before nine. In the _morning_." Jasper laughed.

"I'll make a personal effort."

The intercom buzzed loudly. Bella rushed over to answer.

"Pizza!" Emmett cheered.

"And we wonder why Matthew is always hungry?" Rose shook her head amused.

"He's a growing man, babe."

"He's barely two months old."

"Exactly, he needs to eat." Emmett beamed at her, making everyone laugh.

After pizza and more talking, everyone started finding excuses to leave, thinking Edward and Bella wanted to be alone. The more guests left, the more panicked Edward grew. Bella noticed and squeezed his hand.

In the end, it was just them and Jasper and Alice, who offered to linger and help them clean the mess. Naturally, Edward and Jasper got engaged in a game of Wii while the girls started folding pizza boxes and twisting soda cans before throwing them in the trash.

"How difficult is it to live with Jasper?" Bella wondered as she tied the top of the garbage bag, already filled after only a few hours in the new home.

"You should be used to living with a guy. I mean, you lived with your brother for so long…right? For me it was super difficult." Alice slumped on a tall stool at the kitchen island. "But you'll work it out. Gosh, this place is awesome, Bella."

Bella smiled shyly. "We tried to make it feel homey, though the idea of living alone with Edward scares me. It thrills me, don't get me wrong, but when you'll leave and it will be just the two of us…"

"Get a pet or something."

"That's a good idea."

Alice winked. "And I bet you can find something to do." She giggled, reaching over the top of the table to squeeze her friend's hand. "Give it a few days. It's all new now, but soon you'll get in a routine and it will be so much easier."

"Routine…shit. That word scares me." Bella bit her lip. "And if Edward starts working…what am I going to do? Big cities always put me on edge, it got easier because I've always been out with you or him or someone else, never alone."

"Bella, stop fretting. You'll get used to this. Fear of the new is something common."

"I guess you're right." Bella nodded, agreeing with her friend. If she thought about it, everything new and that she hadn't experienced before always worried her and made her think the worst of the situation—like flying, or sex—and now this, living alone.

The boys entered the kitchen in that moment, going to their girlfriends.

"I won," Edward declared smugly, planting a loud kiss on Bella's neck. "You and I should play. We have tons of games courtesy of Dad's generosity and the Amazon card he gave me on my birthday."

"I'll probably suck," Bella said uncertainly. She'd never understood the Wii games. She'd feel like an idiot jumping around and waving her hands in the air.

"Careful, 'cause he's a cheater," Jasper warned her.

"Am not!" Edward protested, looking hurt.

"No, shit. You totally threw me away from the TV's range area. Of course you won."

"I didn't mean to push you away, Jazz. It was a mistake."

"That helped you win." His friend huffed.

"Aw, you're such a sore loser," Alice cooed at him, kissing his nose.

"You know what would make me feel better?" Jasper asked suggestively, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his lips to hers.

"Dude, go home," Edward groaned, feeling sick. He'd always considered Alice his sister and seeing her with his best friend, it made him feel his insides twist.

"That's a good idea now. Let's go, little one. These two need some privacy."

"I'll walk you downstairs," Edward offered, ready to get rid of them. As much as it worried him what would happened the moment he'd be alone with Bella, he really didn't want to witness his friends making out.

"Take the trash out too." Bella pointed to the black plastic bag.

"Sure, baby."

Bella said her goodbyes to Jasper and Alice, before closing the door after them. Edward promised not to take long.

"I hope you're going to still come by the garage whenever you have some time, now that you landed yourself a real job." Jasper said off-handedly in the elevator.

"You know it, man. I found the radiator for the Plymouth on a website, but it was too fucking expensive," he added, hoping to show his friend he was still interested in helping him with the cars.

"It's probably original. That's the last car of the five we got from the race that still needs repairing."

"Because it's fucking difficult to find parts," Edward muttered, stepping out of the box when the door opened. "Anyway, I'll call you before I drop by."

"Good. Have fun on your first night in the new house." Jasper winked.

"They'll be fine," Alice said dismissively. "Look at him all domestic and shit, taking the trash out."

"So what? The trash area is scary…I mean for Bella."

"Two words, dude." Jasper smirked. "Pussy whipped."

"If that's so, then she's totally cock whipped," Alice said laughing loudly. "Did you see how she picked the peppers from his pizza knowing he didn't like it? They're a perfect match."

"Cock whipped?" Edward asked bewildered, trying not to laugh. "I'll have to tell Bella about that. Now off you go." He waved to their friends.

With them gone, he threw away the trash and on the way up to fifth floor, he tapped his foot impatiently to the elevator's floor. _Come on, faster. I miss my baby._

Edward stepped inside their apartment, locked behind him and rested his back against the door, closing his eyes and sighing. Home.

"What's with that silly smile?" Bella asked, approaching him.

Edward hugged her close, running his hands through her hair. "Alice and Jasper made fun at our expense."

"Oh no." She gasped in mock-astonishment.

"Yes," he whispered seriously, but a large smile formed on his lips. "He said I was pussy whipped."

"You are." Bella giggled, leaning up kiss him quickly.

"Well then, according to Alice, you're cock whipped."

Bella threw her head back and laughed loudly, freely. He loved seeing her so happy, and she had an infectious laugh. Soon, they were both laughing at the stupid expression Alice head come up with.

When Bella sobered up relatively, she tugged at Edward's head until she could kiss him better. "I like your cock. You can whip me with it any time." She blushed furiously, but she was proud of herself to have had the guts to say it aloud.

"Oh, you little tease." Edward scooped her up, draping her over his shoulder, walking determined to their bedroom where he threw her unceremoniously on the big bed. "Let's christen this fucker, then we can continue with every available surface in our apartment."

"Ours."

"Ours," he repeated, grinning like a fool. "Love you, baby."

"Oh, me too for some reason, you crazy boy."

He dived for her neck, peppering kisses on its length. "Never thought I'd say it, but I'm grateful for everything that happened and it led to me being sent on that student exchange program. I'd have never met you, you amazing girl."

"I feel the same."

Smiling, he went back to kissing her. Starting this new chapter of his life near his girlfriend made Edward feel proud of how far he had come from his old habits of drinking and racing, to thinking of a job and a roof above their head and their future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it! The last chapter. Thank you all for reading, reviewing and sticking around.
> 
> It's sad to announce but there will be no more het stories from me. I've so excited about publishing this story...and only got a few of you reading and enjoying it...so this is the last one. From now on, I will post only slash (boy on boy).

**Author's Note:**

> Check out the pictures I'll post in my group on Facebook. There will be teasers, too. :)
> 
> Updates: Saturdays and Wednesdays.
> 
> This is already pre-written and has 30 chapters.


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